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Final Reflection & Self-Assessment

4/17/2017

Truth be told, this is the first class that I feel like I have learned something applicable to my everyday classroom. Picking a theme relevant to my subject area really helped me to see the value in each module in this course. In particular, I enjoyed the social network learning, game-based learning, and interactive presentation. The social network module really helped me to grasp the concept and engaged/interested me enough to actually take a course on it this summer. I’ve always been interested in gamifying my curriculum, so the game-based learning module lit my brain up with ideas and applications to my 7th graders. The interactive presentation was just fun to create and a resource that I can really see myself using when I teach The Outsiders next year.

All these things considered, this course has helped me to grow professionally because it has broadened by understanding of several concepts (i.e. social network learning, game-based learning, assistive technology, etc.) and piqued my interest in a social network learning which previously overwhelmed me. One of my administrators has actually ask me to be in charge of our school’s social media next year which at first brought on some anxiety because I’m not one of those millennials that documents every thought and moment; however, the module in this course opened my mind a little. It showed me the educational potential in embracing social networking, even though it’s not something that I utilize in my own life. Additionally, I have enjoyed working with Weebly. I’ve read a lot about Weebly on Pinterest, but I had never had the time to play around with it. I know that I want to create a classroom website next year, and I think that Weebly is a serious contender for my platform.

Of all the courses I have taken, this course, in my opinion, embraces the AECT standards. The practice of creating, using, assessing/evaluating, managing, and ethically utilizing educational technology was part of almost every module. From determining relative advantage in the first few modules to creating the three content-area projects, I was constantly using those five criteria to create and plan engaging technology-enhanced lessons and materials. Theory guided each project in that I knew I wanted students to take a very active role in their education. I wanted each activity to place students in an ownership role using constructivist techniques.

As for my blogging efforts, each of my entries were in a narrative style that were built on my experiences, opinions, and research. Truthfully, I could have focused more on incorporating research and citations to support; however, blogging in my mind has always been a bit more informal, so I struggled in that area. I do believe that I developed ten blog entries that were posted in a timely manner and rich in experience-based content. I also responded to two of my classmates’ blogs during the week that they were posted. All things considered, I believe that I met each criteria to the best of my ability except the readings and resources. Therefore, I would say that I earned 135/140.

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Accessibility Features on My Mac

4/11/2017

6 Comments

I’ve always been a Mac person. My husband and I are obsessed. If there is a Mac version of something, we own it. The design, functionality, and reliability of Macs are, in my opinion, far superior to any other option out there. On top of all that, I like Macs because they offer some really amazing accessibility features for people with disabilities. Assistive technology is "anything that helps you do something that you couldn't do otherwise." (2010) Assistive technology ranges from a tool that helps you walk or see to a sophisticated computer program that converts text to speech. The following are just a few of my favorite accessibility features.

Macs have a built-in screen reader called VoiceOver. VoiceOver does more than simply reading text aloud. It walks the user through complex actions like creating a presentation, editing a video, navigating open apps, and more. VoiceOver also has add-on tools like Braille support and audio descriptions. This feature would enable people who are blind or who have low vision to competently and confidently use a Mac to do simple and complex tasks.

For person who are deaf or hard of hearing, Macs offer some great options like FaceTime, iMessage, closed captions, mono audio, and screen flash. FaceTime and iMessage allow users to easily communicate with others. While features like closed caption and mono audio allow users to view videos without fear of missing out. Closed caption on Mac even lets users customize styles and fonts. Mono audio plays left- and right-channel audio in both ears so users listening with headphones can enjoy any audio file.

Switch Control is probably my favorite accessibility tool for Macs though. With Switch Control people with physical and motor skill disabilities can between apps, the Dock, onscreen keyboards, and menus using scanning. Users can even customize their own panels and keyboards. Switch Control works with a number of devices like joysticks, switches, and the keyboard space bar. Switch Control enables users to easily use all the functions and features of a Mac.

Finally, Macs have various resources that enable people with various learning or literary disabilities to succeed on a Macbook. For example, Macs offer Text to Speech features that allow users to highlight any text and hear it in more than 70 voices and 42 languages. Macs also offer word completion apps to help with word building and vocabulary. And the cherry on top - this English teacher loves that Macs have built-in dictionaries that allows users to easily access definitions, synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, pronunciation, and more.

References:

Accessibility - Mac. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://www.apple.com/accessibility/mac/

P. (2010, November 12). Understanding Assistive Technology: Simply Said. Retrieved April 11, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLvzOwE5lWqhRYvTn2kIygOTdXBE8AyHFR&v=DB9pKkZoJDc

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Obstacles and Solutions to Technology Integration in the ELA Classroom

4/5/2017

2 Comments

I recently saw a survey titled, “What impedes your use of technology in the classroom? The options included: lack of classroom technology, lack of technology at home, lack of time, lack of technical skills, disbelief that technology enhances learning, technology changes too rapidly for me to keep up with, and so on and so forth. All of these options are obstacles - understandable obstacles. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have available resources, skills, or even interest in technology integration. The largest obstacle that I run into in my classroom though is a blend of a few different obstacles.

How often do you use technology in the classroom?

It’s a double-edged sword. Use it too much and the students get bored by the monotony. Use it too little and students don’t have enough experience, leading to wasted time and heartbroken teachers. What’s the solution? I believe that, like everything, moderation is the key. Students need to utilize technology frequently but not so much so that it loses its effectiveness or “shine.” It’s kind of like using interactive notebooks in the classroom. If it is the only thing you use, students only see cutting and gluing. They don’t see the benefits or ideas that they are creating.

In the ELA classroom, we have a lot of different subjects to learn. Literature, writing, grammar, vocabulary, etc. Technology can enhance each of those subjects, but sometimes, in my opinion, it’s nice to break out pen and paper and do things the “old school” way. I like to have students take notes in their binders, write paragraphs in their composition notebooks, draw illustrations for their vocabulary words. If anything, in the middle school classroom, using both technology and “old school” tools keeps students moving and “on their toes” which I know my bunch needs.

Balancing technology and seeing it as a tool to enhance learning is the most crucial part of integrating technology in the classroom. If you just use it to use it or because it’s there, then students will definitely not see its worth or potential. In a sense, if you just use technology in the classroom because it’s there, you are just encouraging the “technology zombies” that are students are turning into. I want my students to be utilize technology but always for a purpose not just because.

References:

Understanding Educational Technology Trends & Issues. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from http://online.tarleton.edu/Home_files/EDTC_538/Week_2/Week_24.html

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The Relative Advantage of Using Technology in the ELA Classroom

3/27/2017

3 Comments

Technology - What’s the benefit? Sometimes the complications of something blind us to the benefits of it. That truth applies to technology in the classroom, specifically the English Language Arts classroom. Organizing and guiding 30 middle school students all to the same point in an activity by itself can be tough, add technology used for academic purposes, and it can sometimes feel like I am a glutton for punishment. I can’t tell you how many times I have wanted to change my name at the end of a full day of technology-integrated activities. Mrs. Hughes, who’s Mrs. Hughes?

However, the benefits of using technology in the classroom far outweigh the hiccups that may come with it. Technology allows my students to actively participate with concepts that seem one-dimensional to most. Vocabulary, grammar, text structures, character analysis, theme development, and more. Technology gives my middle school students the opportunity to interact with classically boring topics - vocabulary - by defending the Earth from falling asteroids in Quizlet’s Gravity. It allows them to monitor theme development over the course of a novel by tweeting 140-character summaries and utilizing hashtags. It allows them to assume the role of their favorite characters and create vlog (or blog) diaries. It allows them to demonstrate their knowledge of text structures by making comic strips using BitStrips or Pixton. The benefits and opportunities go on and on.

Using technology in the ELA classroom allows students to learn like never before. In an EduSurge article written by Ben Stern, the advantage of using technology in the ELA classroom is stated quite clearly. He says, “... literature is as powerful on paper as it is in E-ink. Where technology can play a powerful role, though, is by offering new opportunities for engagement with the texts, expanding a classroom beyond its walls and time slot, and encouraging students to pursue their reading and writing independently.” Technology gives students the chance to continue their learning in a more meaningful, and exciting, way than worksheets or flashcards. It takes the purpose of homework and updates it.

Stern included an important word at the end of his quotation, he used the word “independently.” Technology allows learners to interact with ELA concepts independently, outside of the classroom. What more could we want as teachers than for our students to take what we teach them, interact with it, and use it on their own. With technology in the classroom, they can!

References:

Stern, B. (2016, July 10). Because You Asked: How Tech Can Transform English/Language Arts Class from Good to Great (EdSurge News). Retrieved March 26, 2017, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/because-you-asked-how-tech-can-transform-english-language-arts-class-from-good-to-great

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Relative Advantage of Using Digital Games for Content-Area Learning

3/5/2017

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Our students are growing up in a different world - a digital one. In this world, everything has to have some kind of entertainment value. Digital games in the classroom is a way that education is working to create that entertainment value while increasing engagement and learning.

Before teaching middle school, I taught high school English and competition definitely had its place in my classroom every day. It motivated students to participate, pay attention, and try their best like no other technique I had ever used. Now that I’m in the middle school, competition’s motivational magic has not changed; if anything, it’s stronger!

First, it was Kahoot! My students were obsessed with proving themselves and earning the high score (no extra incentive necessary). Then, it was Quizizz. These gaming technologies have made reviewing, practicing, even testing a more exciting, engaging, and entertaining part of my classroom. On top of that, incorporating gaming in the classroom has given students a constructive way to use their smartphones and tablets in class.

In Lee Banville’s article “New Study Finds Many Children May Not See Tablets as Educational,” research reveals that children are using tablets and technology more but are not taking away from the educational games and apps what they are supposed to. Instead, they are thinking of tablets more like toys than a technology capable of teaching them something. Banville’s article is another key reason that I enjoy using gaming/quizzing technologies in my classroom. These technologies show students that technology and education go hand-in-hand. Sometimes, as I walk through the lunchroom and see students staring at their “hidden” cell phones rather than talk to their friends, I worry that this generation of students is so fully immersed in technology, but they are not creating any connections other than that it is a toy or something to create fun.

Using gaming in the classroom has multiple advantages. For example, gaming is a great way to increase vocabulary acquisition and master spelling. Teaching vocabulary and spelling in middle school can have similar side effects as walking the plank. It can be deadly boring and difficult to get students actively interested in learning new words, especially since they may never have heard/seen them before and insist that they will NEVER use them again. The Internet is teeming (vocabulary word from this week) with vocabulary and spelling practice games, but in particular, I enjoy Quizlet. Quizlet allows students to make flashcards, review for tests, play matching games, and even take practice tests. It’s an all-in-one vocabulary tool that students ask ME to incorporate into the lesson. Digital gaming is also a great way to encourage practice with various grammar and reading concepts like parts of speech, synonyms, antonyms, and context clues.

To say the world is rapidly changing is an understatement. I’m 28 years old and my 13 an 14 year old students are experiencing life in such a different way than I did not too too long ago. That said, I believe it is our job as educators to rise to meet the challenge of sticking with our students and building bridges to meet them on familiar ground. Digital gaming, as well as other technologies in the classroom, is an amazing way to do just that.

References:

Lee Banville - Dec 20, 2016. (n.d.). New Study Finds Many Children May Not See Tablets as Educational. Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://www.gamesandlearning.org/2016/12/20/new-study-notes-children-may-not-see-tablets-as-educational/

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Social Networking & "Walled Gardens"

2/26/2017

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A VoiceThread discussing "Walled Gardens" including its purpose and possible advantages in the classroom. As a millennial and a teacher, I see both sides of "Walled Gardens." However, given the option of shielding students from the world versus teaching them how to deal and interact with it, I would always choose to teach them and give them the experience.

Manuscript:

We learn from our mistakes. Hot stoves. Broken bones. Bad choices. With each wrong move, we gain experience and information that will help us to make better, wiser decisions for the next time. This idea transfers to technology as well. Shielding students behind “walled gardens” prevents them from facing real-world experiences and learning from their choices.
Webopedia defines “walled gardens” as a “browsing environment that controls the information and web sites the user is able to access.” As a teacher, I understand why schools use extensive firewalls to keep students away from unsavory information; however, I’m not so sure that building walls is the best way to teach our students about the Internet and how to handle the information they may find. Think about it: When you were young and your parents said no to something, how did it make you feel? It made you want to do it more, right? By putting stop signs after 5 out of 10 clicks, we are essentially doing the same thing. Limiting our students to only a few approved websites nullifies the benefits and usage of the Internet (and technology) in our classrooms.
In her article “A Guidebook for Social Media,” @coolcatteacher brings up an interesting point. She notes that students need to learn different forms of writing; however, with each new skill they learn (be it letters, e-mail, or social media), we are “opening our students to a whole new dangerous world.” Should we let the potential for danger prevent us from learning? No! I think we should instead face that potential for “danger” and instruct our students on how to deal with it.
One way to teach our students how to properly interact online, specifically using social media, is to utilize it in our classrooms. Let’s show our students that social media is not just a way to show everyone what you ate for dinner last night or your new high score, but rather a way to analyze a character, to summarize complex texts, to collect and annotate data, to broadcast learning.
Social media gives students the ability to connect with people all over the world. That idea scares a lot of people, but again, by making social media a part of education, we are creating opportunities to teach netiquette and digital citizenship as well as privacy/safety rules. Additionally, there are a number of global collaboration projects made possible by social media. For example, the Edmodo Pen Pal Project connects students around the world. It allows students to discuss everyday topics and current events with people from other cultures; thereby teaching students to respect and appreciate the opinions of others. Skype in the Classroom is another excellent benefit of using social media. Through Skype in the Classroom, students get to experience things that were never before possible. For example, students can go on virtual field trips, invite guest speakers from across the globe into their class, participate in Mystery Skype, and even collaborate with other schools.
As I said before, I understand “walled gardens.” It makes sense to me, but I believe that there is a better way. Walls don’t teach responsibility. Walls don’t teach respect and maturity. Walls don’t benefit our students. Real-world instruction does. Facing the Internet and social media head on does more for our students. After all, one day, they have to leave the protection of our classroom. I’d rather that they leave knowing what’s waiting for them. Wouldn’t you?

References:
Walled garden. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/walled_garden.html
@coolcatteacher, V. D. (2014, February 27). A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis

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Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs)

2/20/2017

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With great power comes great responsibility. Be it Uncle Ben, Voltaire, or Winston Churchill who said it, the maxim applies to the Internet and all that it offers students. Each of the benefits that the Internet and technology offers students comes with its fair share of drawbacks. Drawbacks that can be overcome with common sense rules and responsible guidance from parents and teachers. One way that today’s schools are facing these drawbacks is through Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs).

I grew up with the Internet. In some ways, the Internet and I grew up together. We were working out our kinks and glitches at the same time. Be that as it may, the great abundance and incredible availability of information was at times overwhelming. Copy and paste, screenshots, chat rooms, social media, and more. It was and is all too easy to be untruthful online, especially since there is no age limit for using the Internet.

An Acceptable Use Policy, or AUP, outlines a school or organization’s expectations for proper behavior while using technology. An AUP should include an institution’s instructional philosophy, as it relates to the Internet; a list of responsibilities for students, teachers, and parents; a code of conduct relating to the Internet; a description of consequences for violators; and a guide as to what the institution considers appropriate and inappropriate behavior online. Additionally, an AUP should include a signature block for students, parents, and teachers to note their understanding and intent to uphold the behaviors outlined in the AUP.

As an English teacher, AUPs are important to my classroom. At the beginning of each year, I explain plagiarism and the importance not to copy someone else’s work. Each year, I find myself going more and more over the top to make an impression upon my students about the importance of crediting sources, paraphrasing, and finding credible sources. However, no matter how I stress the importance, someone tries to take the easy way.

Acceptable Use Policies help to prevent plagiarism in my class, because it is all too easy to copy and paste information from the Internet into a document. AUPs are not just a set of rules, like a code of conduct or academic honest policy; it is an outline of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors that students should learn to function properly online. Perhaps the most important thing about AUPs is that it is not a list of behaviors that one would only practice at school, it is a list of behaviors that students will practice at home, in college, and in the workplace. AUPs provide critical instruction for students, especially as technology continues to change and rule the day.

The following links are four examples of Acceptable Use Policies:

References:

1-to-1 Essentials - Acceptable Use Policies. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/1to1/aups

Why Have a Technology Policy in Your School or Library? | Librarians. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2017, from http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/tech/techpolicy.htm

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Benefits of Using Multimedia in the Classroom

2/13/2017

3 Comments

Well, here it is -- my one and only (so far) vlog post. Please excuse the quality of my voice. I have been sick for a few days and lost my voice.

Manuscript:
Do you remember that feeling when the teacher rolled the TV cart into the classroom? It meant excitement, entertainment, and relief for our ears and minds that were struggling to consume chunks of information.

Multimedia has changed over the years - from glass slides and transparencies to PowerPoints and videos to virtual reality. With each step forward, student engagement has increased. What’s the result of using multimedia in the classroom? Greater learning potential.

The Florida Center for Instructional Technology lists a number of advantages to using multimedia in the classroom, including: gaining real-world skills, learning the value of teamwork, practicing effective collaboration and communication skills, analyzing and synthesizing complex ideas, and expressing creative thoughts. This list, while comprehensive, is just the tip of the iceberg. Multimedia, particularly in the hands of our students, shifts the power and focus of the classroom. Students get to take the lead and demonstrate their knowledge through creative, constructivist avenues. Like with any form of technology, there are some concerns to consider; however, the benefits far outweigh the concerns.

In terms of real-world skills, multimedia gives students the opportunity to learn and practice valuable technical skills. As society becomes more and more digital and technology-centered, technical skills are no longer a bonus skill but a required one. The world expects students to graduate high school with certain skills, and now, those skills must have a strong backbone in technology. By integrating multimedia into the classroom, we are helping our students to learn those skills.

It seems like teamwork and collaboration have been educational buzz words for as long as I can remember. Teamwork and collaboration? Aren’t those the skills that students learn through sports and during P.E.? Multimedia and technology integration provide excellent opportunities for students to learn, practice, and perfect those skills in the classroom. Through collaborative technologies, like the Google Suite, students can easily create, collaborate, and critique all in one place. Creating a group presentation has never been easier! Multimedia assignments also give students a way to contribute their different talents to a group. Movie makers, artists, actors, and word nerds alike can combine their strengths to create and produce movies. As a student, collaborating to create interpretation-based movies are some of my fondest memories. I’ll never forget acting out and editing my group’s interpretation of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

During those collaborative assignments, students also learn how to communicate their ideas, thoughts, and criticisms effectively. The two-fold benefit of learning communication skills through multimedia is that students can practice communicating face-to-face as well as through digital environments.

Creating multimedia like presentations, movies, vlogs, and graphics gives students the opportunity to analyze, synthesize, and express complex ideas through non-traditional means. Every student is different. Multimedia gives each student a platform to relay their understanding or navigate complex waters using an individualized method. Rather than writing a detailed report on a topic, students can create an infographic or animation or even an original piece of art.

Finally, multimedia gives students the freedom to express themselves creatively. As a middle school teacher, my room is filled with color. Not by my own doing though. My students are constantly drawing and showing their creativity and understanding of a character through non-traditional or different means. By teaching my students to use multimedia, I am giving them another avenue to express themselves and their knowledge.

So, what are the advantages of using multimedia in the classroom? Multimedia offers a whole new world. It gives us, as teachers, the opportunity to shake off the rust of traditional instructivist methods and embrace constructivism. What’s the reason that I use it? It helps me to see my students’ personalities and understanding through a different lens. It helps me to help them.

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The Relative Advantage of The Basic Suite

1/31/2017

4 Comments

Seventh grade computer class was heaven. It was 2002, and I was learning how to type. We were learning more than the QWERTY keyboard though. We were learning how to type without looking at the keys, without looking at the screen. We were learning almost Jedi-like ways of becoming one with the keyboard. I remember countless days of typing with my eyes shut and being so pleased with myself as I slowly made fewer and fewer typographical errors.

That year, we also began learning how to use the Basic Suite. Of course, my favorites of the three programs were (and still are) word processing software and presentation software. Today, the Basic Suite is so essential to my classroom that I often forget to think of it as a tool. It’s like air or a pencil in my classroom. We are almost incapable of getting through a day without it. That being said, Google apps have redefine my view on the Suite and made each software program easier to use and more (if it’s even possible) essential to my classroom.

The Google Basic Suite include Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides with all created files saved and organized in Google Drive. As a neat freak and a sucker for organization, Google Drive is an amazing tool that allows me to keep all my classes, novels, and skills neat and tidy. The basic functions and capabilities are the same as other Basic Suites; however, Google apps has one function that establishes it as top dog. With Google apps, students can create and publish documents to the Internet. What’s the benefit in publishing files? For one, it’s the final step in the writing process, and Google apps actually allows students to follow through and publish their work on a grander scale rather than lying a typed document on my desk and walking away.

So, what can they publish? Using the Google Basic Suite, students can create basic word processing documents such as essays, reports, and more. Roblyer (2016) gave the example of using word processing software to create a Civil War-era newspaper, which is a great idea, but there are so many more options. With word processing software like Google Docs, students can publish interactive book reviews following a round of independent reading. Google Docs allows students to electronically enhance their reviews with book cover images and links to Amazon. Using Google Docs, students can create annotated bibliographies using the Research tool. They can read, cite, and evaluate sources all in one place. With Google apps’ amazing sharing capabilities, students can even work together from multiple computers and locations to write a collaborative story.

Presentation software allows students to do equally as exciting things. Specifically with Google Slides, students can write, format, and publish e-books, children’s books, and how-to documents like cookbooks and manuals. Google Slides allows students to embed videos into a slide, which further enhances a file’s educational potential. Students can also easily link to other slides in a presentation or to other locations altogether.

As an English teacher, I do not use Google Sheets as much, but as a component of the Basic Suite, it offers just as many benefits and advantages as its counterparts. For example, by sharing a spreadsheet with parents, signing up for parent-teacher conferences has never been easier. Additionally, the flashcard add-on allows students to quickly turn a spreadsheet of vocabulary into flashcards that are ready to review.

The possibilities are endless with the Google Basic Suite and the Basic Suite in general. As Roblyer stated, the Basic Suite allows teachers “to support any directed instruction or constructivist activity” (2016). This versatility is what I find so attractive and essential in a technology tool. As a universal tool, the Basic Suite aids students and teachers in countless ways. It saves time, enhances files, simplifies collaboration, and so much more.

References:

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (7 ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc

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Emerging Trends and Developments in Educational Technology

1/23/2017

2 Comments

How has technology changed education? As Roblyer (2016) mentions in his text, technology has long been a part of education. It has taken many forms and served many purposes - calculators, transparency projectors, computers, interactive whiteboards, smart devices, 3-D printers. Educational technology has been changing with education since the beginning of education. With each advancement, educational technology proposes a solution to a problem in the classroom.

I’ve always thought of technology as the solution to many educational issues. Your students lack the motivation to learn and practice grammar concepts? Create a Kahoot! game that embraces student competitive nature while testing their knowledge on subject/verb agreement. Your students have no prior knowledge of your novel’s setting? Use Google Maps (and Google Lit Trips) to create a virtual field trip through a distant city, country, or even continent. Educational technology, though ever-changing, proposes solutions to educational issues that are both new and old.

In the 2016 NMC/CoSN Horizon Report, the collaborators pinpointed six trends and developments with short-, mid-, and long-term implications. The trends that applied the most to my 7th grade English classroom include students as creators, virtual reality, and wearable technology. Though all of the trends and developments have some exciting possibilities, virtual reality and wearable technology have the most interesting and perhaps most promising implications.

When I tell people that I’m an English teacher, many people expect my classroom to be stuffy with sit-down-and-be-quiet activities. What those outside our profession don’t know is that any subject and any grade level can be exciting and dynamic when students act as creators in the classroom. As mentioned in the Horizon Report (2016), the rise of social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat have turned our students into self-made writers, producers, designers, and artists. Students use their creative skills outside the classroom daily to tell a story, whether for comedic effect or otherwise, so why can’t we do that in the classroom? Social media in middle school has its difficulties but it serves as an excellent point of reference when you ask your students to create a Snapchat-style response as Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird.

Virtual reality paired with wearable technology fills my mind with so many exciting ideas. Seventh graders have great imaginations until it comes face to face with a textbook. The Horizon Report (2016) states, “Virtual reality delivers immersive, simulated worlds, enabling complete focus on content without distractions.” Now, add in wearable technology in which student can get up and walk through a virtual reality simulation, and suddenly students are walking the same hot, cracked plains with Salva and Nya from A Long Walk to Water and their imaginations are alive.

No matter the trend or development, educational technology promises to continue providing answers to educational problems. As a teacher, I am excited to see how each of these trends and development appear in my classroom and how they help my students.

References:

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (7 ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc

Adams Becker, S., Freeman, A., Giesinger Hall, C., Cummins, M.,and Yuhnke, B. (2016). MC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

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Final Reflection & Self-Assessment

Accessibility Features on My Mac

Obstacles and Solutions to Technology Integration in the ELA Classroom

The Relative Advantage of Using Technology in the ELA Classroom

Relative Advantage of Using Digital Games for Content-Area Learning

Social Networking & "Walled Gardens"

Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs)

Benefits of Using Multimedia in the Classroom

The Relative Advantage of The Basic Suite

Emerging Trends and Developments in Educational Technology

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