Educational Computing
Beaver County school districts embrace technology in the classroom by Katherine Schaeffer
This article highlights the changing face of the Beaver Area School District. Schools in these are using one-to-one iPad programs to replace bulky textbooks with sleek and light iPads. For most middle and high schools in the area, classes have become paperless, and teachers have allowed students to read, complete assignments, type them and take notes using iPads. This approach to replace the traditional classroom and conventional teaching methods is a welcome move to innovate new learning methods for modern students. Education has become more instructional and fun, and the curriculum has been modified to create digital content and personalize lessons. The teachers recognize that the internet has become more equipped with knowledge and are appreciating the need for students to browse and research beyond the classroom.
Fifth-Graders Soar in the Blogosphere by Cara Bafile
When you think about what makes blogging one of the most useful tools in teaching, it’s because blogs are easy and simple to setup and maintain and encourage students to learn purposely to share with others. Gillian Ryan, the teacher, referred to in this case, thinks that blogging reinforces grammar skills, answering and sharing questions and practice revision, spell-proofing, and editing responses. It also makes the teacher’s work easier in monitoring student’s comprehension of various topics and continue with discussions outside the classroom. Students can participate from home too and express themselves in endless ways that would have been otherwise impossible in the traditional classroom.
Nao the Robot Teacher Becomes Newest Edition to Kansas School's Teaching Staff – the Huffington Post
The innovation of robotic teaching aids in the classroom is a step further for students to engage with and get to understand technology. The Kansas Career and Technical Education Academy has done just that. Students can feed the robot with all sorts of queries, and in turn, the robot replies almost every query in the best way it can. For programming and electronics students, this is a great addition to their resume because they are taught how to feed the programmable humanoid with information and how to develop prototypes like it. The trend is picking up in various universities too which use the robots as lab assistants and to perform delicate experiments that require high precision and accuracy.
Study: Emerging Technology Has Positive Impact in Classroom by Ryan Lytle
Technology innovation has brought goodwill in the classroom. In this article, Stacey Roshan, a Calculus teacher at Bullis School highlights the changes that Camtasia Studio, a recording, and video editing program has brought about to her calculus lectures. Using the software, she uploads the lectures on iTunes and assigns them to students when they are back at home. In class, they work out problems together and engage in lively discussions. The scores changed starting that year, and her class had the highest marks compared to the other classes and lectures that used traditional methods of teaching. Using technology to transform the way teachers teach and students learn is the most recent trend, and it’s only inevitable that this trend should be embraced by all stakeholders to advance and make learning easier.
Odeum Role-Playing Games for Education for Critical Thinking by Monica
One of the best and fastest way to develop critical thinking skills in students is by using interactive games. Odeum, confronted with this challenge, decided to innovate role-playing games for some subjects such as language and arts, social studies, mathematics, and literature. These games cover various topics and provide children with opportunities to think and make critical decisions that develop their style of thinking. They also promote active classroom participation and an interactive outlook at various characters in literature texts such as Macbeth and Anne Frank. When faced with similar situations that call for smart decision making, the students will be able to apply the skills learned in the classroom and adapt skilfully to real world situations.
Krause Innovation Studio Supports Technology in the Classroom by Rachel Garman
The Krause Innovation Studio is a technologically enhanced learning space that explores the possibilities of tech classrooms. The studio has two divisions, the Learn Lab and a large collaborative space that is equipped with unique breakout rooms that can be scheduled using online software. The learn lab has a smart board and five projector screens independently controlled to display different presentations. The collaborative space has large monitors and adapters that enable students to share their work. Additionally, it has a free space that encourages students to bring their own devices. The studio is an excellent research environment for students and inspires literacy and innovation in all subjects. It presents students with opportunities to incorporate technology into their daily lives and teachers as well in teaching practices to enhance the learning experience.
Moberly Schools Use Tech in the Classroom to Promote Student Health by Alex Lindley
The problem of obese children is real in the USA. About 30% of the children are overweight, and in Moberly Schools, this number is at 43% of kindergarten through eighth graders. To help students with this issues, the Moberly Public Schools initiated a technology physical activity program to be enrolled out in schools and make physical exercise part of the daily life of students. Projection screens were set up all over the school and displayed different activities and games for students to participate. Additionally, Nintendo Wiis and subscriptions to GoNoodle Plus program were also invested in the initiatives. GONoodle allows teachers to assimilate lessons with desk-side physical activities while the Nintendo Wii requires that students control video game characters using their bodies.
Virtual Reality Learns How to Get Into the Classroom by Georgia Wells
Virtual reality is ready for the classroom, as the author stipulates. Companies such as Nearpod Inc. are already rolling out virtual reality lessons that incorporate immersive 360 degrees experiences. Google parent company, Alphabet Inc. is already experimenting with virtual reality using cardboard viewers. Such technology allows students to participate intensively in class lessons, for example, virtual reality field trips to faraway places and incredible places. The students will be able to develop imagination to worlds beyond conventional books and computers. Virtual reality is interesting to students as the author notes, and they are more likely to engage actively in such lessons as witnessed in the Galileo Academy class turn up during a virtual reality class.
Podcasts to Stimulate Your Classroom Practice by Anne Guarnera
The use of podcasts has long been integrated into learning to deepen knowledge and improve teaching practices. Various podcasts have been developed, such as Teaching in Higher Ed, Student Caring, and Teach Better podcasts. Each has unique lessons, episodes, and questions designed to tackle various subjects. They are also linked to social networks, and students are encouraged to share their experiences and different lessons. Podcasts are a powerful learning medium because they develop daily to incorporate new developments and can be saved for future reference. For teachers, students, and parents, podcasts are a useful technique to help tackle various obstacles in learning, especially for students who often require visual aids to learn. The listening experience can also be enhanced to benefit the user more.
Instructional Technology Enhances Learning at Lincoln Lutheran by Dennis Buckley
Implementation of a one-to-one bring-your-own-device program by the Lincoln Lutheran Middle and high school has transformed the school to become more technological. This instructional technology has enhanced innovation, participation, and attendance of students in various lessons. Other instructional technology resources rolled out at the same time include LCD projectors in every class, Ethernet cables to enhance wireless access, fiber optic cables to increase internet speeds tenfold, learning management systems to make course material flexible to students, and providing each teacher with an iPad to enable them to teach multimedia lessons. The school focuses on future instructional improvements and has implemented a SAMR (Substituting technology for common methods of education, to Augmenting, Modifying, and Redefining instruction utilizing educational technology) model. This has enhanced the school’s profile as a leading educator, and many students are applying to the school in hope of becoming part of the transformation.
References
BAFILE, C. (2016). Fifth-Graders Soar in the Blogosphere. [Online] Education World. Available at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech253.shtml [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016].
LYTLE, R. (2011). Study: Emerging Technology Has Positive Impact in Classroom. [Online] US News & World Report. Available at: http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2011/07/14/study-emerging-technology-has-positive-impact-in-classroom?int=96e908 [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016].
MONICA, (2016). Odeum Role-Playing Games for Education for Critical Thinking - Class Tech Tips. [Online] Class Tech Tips. Available at: http://classtechtips.com/2016/02/24/role-playing-games-for-education/ [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016].
SCHAEFFER, K. (2016). Beaver County school districts embrace technology in the classroom. [Online] Timesonline.com. Available at: http://www.timesonline.com/progress/2016/beaver-county-school-districts-embrace-technology-in-the-classroom/article_27255a9c-cb69-11e5-85b6-ef53516fbf67.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016].
The Huffington Post, (2016). Meet Nao, One High School's New Robot Teacher. [Online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/01/nao-robot-schools_n_2994863.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016].
BUCKLEY, D. (2016). Instructional technology enhances learning at Lincoln Lutheran. [Online] JournalStar.com. Available at: http://journalstar.com/niche/neighborhood-extra/kids-and-classrooms/instructional-technology-enhances-learning-at-lincoln-lutheran/article_b3bef6a4-5563-5e32-b0e4-401149e1164e.html [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016].
GARMAN, R. (2016). State College, PA - Krause Innovation Studio Promotes Technology in the Classroom - State College, PA. [Online] Statecollege.com. Available at: http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/krause-innovation-studio-promotes-technology-in-the-classroom,1466962/ [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016].
GUARNERA, A. (2016). Podcasts to Inspire Your Classroom Practice | Inside Higher Ed. [online] Insidehighered.com. Available at: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/podcasts-inspire-your-classroom-practice [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016].
LINDLEY, A. (2016). Moberly schools use tech in the classroom to promote student health. [Online] Moberly Monitor. Available at: http://www.moberlymonitor.com/article/20160304/NEWS/160309447 [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016].
WELLS, G. (2016). Virtual Reality Learns How to Get Into the Classroom. [Online] WSJ. Available at: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2016/02/11/virtual-reality-learns-how-to-get-into-the-classroom/ [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016].
