Blog Summary

This blog for INSS 300 discusses a small percentage of technology that is being utilized by educators of all levels in order to create a better learning experience for their students. In today's society it is absolutely crucial that a student receives a good education in order to further excel in other endeavors. With the use of technology in the classroom, this learning experience that may not seem very thrilling to young learners will help bring a "fun" element to school time in order to grasp ones attention. Not only the young learners, but those in the university level as well can utilize technology to further understand a lecture or topic. Technology advances will only help educators in the long run in teaching their students. Also it can allow for a student to bring the classroom home by listening to lectures, completing homework via Pearson Lab for example (which provides tutoring), or collaborating with a project partner via internet for an assignment; the possibilities seem endless.

Online Homework

The in class experience is making its move to the benefits of online usage. Many courses now require their students to complete their homework online with programs such as Pearson. This allows the student to finish their homework while being instructed if a mistake was made, particularly in courses involving mathematics. Learning programs such as Pearson has certainly made a positive difference in my own personal learning experience as it is very instructional with step-by-step phases along with video tutorials. Other benefits of this program allows a student to keep track of their grades as everything is automatically graded and calculated into your overall score. The benefits of the Pearson program are astounding and will only prove to be more beneficial as technology progresses.

YouTube and education

Based off of personal experience, YouTube has played a role in my college career, whether it is for in class lectures, projects, or even online course informational videos and projects. YouTube allows for a teacher to gain access to many beneficial videos that may help bind together a subject being taught, or even for group discussions. Also, YouTube allows for video assignments in the classroom. This proves to be very beneficial to teachers who are conducting an online class where face-to-face time is next to nonexistent. This gives students the opportunity to have some type of "interaction" with the teacher and his or her classmates in a way that is different from a simple post in a discussion or assignment. I personally would never have thought of YouTube playing a role in the classroom, but witnessing its advances for the betterment of a students education, I would not be surprised to see more out of them in a positive way for a classroom experience.

Tablets in the classroom

Tablets in the classroom can be extremely beneficial to students of all levels. Since roughly 2010 according to USA Today’s article “Tablets rewrite the classroom rules”, tablets have been effectively assisting teachers in the effort to better the classroom experience. Tablets allow a student to be more engaged in a classroom by allowing them to take notes on the tablet, which may seem more appealing than the traditional pen(cil) and paper; especially to students in high school and below. This gives them the perspective of using technology, rather than simply taking notes. Not only this, but tablets allow for a student to have access to a wide variety of resources while in the classroom, such as learning applications, or even polling apps which allows a teacher to know right away if a student is struggling. Also, let’s not forget the luxury of only having to carry a lightweight tablet in a book bag which can hold e-books, rather than lugging around multiple large textbooks at one time for numerous classes. The possibilities seem to be endless with beneficial value when it comes to tablets and the classroom. 

Video Lectures

A study conducted by U.S. News & World Report, an advanced placement calculus teacher at a school ranging from ages three to twelve in Potomac, Maryland was facing a difficult issue with her calculus students staying engaged and productive while in class. She often found that the rigorous lectures left the students more perplexed after class. In order to combat this issue, the teacher took matters into her own hands by using a screen recording and video editing program called “Camtasia Studio”. She then made recordings of her lectures and uploaded them onto iTunes where her students were instructed to watch the lectures at home for homework with the capability of replaying and pausing the lectures as needed. During class, she would work with the students on problems in the classroom in reference to the assigned lecture videos. This allowed her students to take their time by watching the lectures at their own pace in order to better understand the materials with reinforcement in the classroom with hands-on problems.

Article citation:

Lytle, Ryan. "Study: Emerging Technology Has Positive Impact in Classroom."US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2011/07/14/study-emerging-technology-has-positive-impact-in-classroom?int=96e908>.

Technology and Education Introduction

As new and improved technology emerges, time in the classroom has also improved for both educators and students. The use of tablets, podcast, and even YouTube along with many other technologies have all started to play a large role in a student’s education from grade school to graduate school to better improve their experience and understanding with the class material.