Emerging Technologies

Smartboard

The Smartboard is an interactive whiteboard that is electronic. It’s easy to use, and enhances student learning in many ways. The Smartboard is a great tool to use within the classroom because it allows students to interact with different projects and activities in a whole new way. I believe the Smartboard does a better job keeping students engaged, because of its interactive capabilities. The Smartboard is not a common resource that students have seen or used before and because of that, students are interested in exploring all its features.

I would love to have a Smartboard in my classroom as a tool for class projects or even to use for specific work stations within the class. I really like the idea of having “work stations” or “learning centers” within the classroom. I think the Smartboard would be a great technology to have as one of the centers, in which children would feel like they are playing, but still be learning at the same time. They would be able to practice different skills, such as reading, writing, and math, and are also able to work cooperatively.


Skype

Skype is a system where you can make free calls over the internet to other people who have the program. It’s a webcam technology that enables you to talk live to anyone in the world. Skype could be used in a classroom setting in multiple ways. Since it’s a communication tool, it can be used to communicate with your students or their parents outside the classroom. You could have video conferencing with parents if they aren’t able to leave their home for some reason, or you could use it to update students who were out sick that day.

You could also use it to communicate with other classes across the nation or even in another country. It could be used a “pen pal” type system when communicating with another class. Each student would be assigned a pen pal in the other class and be able to have video conferencing with them once a week. It’d be a great chance for students to get an idea of what is going on in other classes and even explore other cultures.

Facebook

Facebook is a social network that connects people with others all over the world. Using a website like Facebook would enable you (the teacher) to stay connected with students and parents. The site is getting very popular, and many new members join every day. The nice thing about Facebook is that it offers a private way for people to communicate with each other. It’d be a great tool to use along with Skype for the students to learn about their pen pal, and also learn interesting things about their fellow classmates. Another great thing about Facebook is that it would allow the teacher to stay connected with students and parents even after they have moved on to the next grade level. I know that when I run into my past teachers they love to know what I am up to, and it probably makes them feel great to know that I am doing well.

As a teacher, you could use some of the features on Facebook to enhance student learning. You could create a group on Facebook that is specifically for your classroom of students, and keep them updated on the day to day lesson plans that you are using. It’d also be a nice communication tool for parents to see what is going on inside the classroom.