I am sitting at work right now and working on my blog. I think that right there is enough to make a post about. I am on my new smart phone (Droid2). It was very easy for me to access the CEP wiki as well as the blogger site. While I was sitting here trying to think of a topic to post about I realized it was right in my hands.
I find it very ammusing that I can do this from my phone so effeciently. It led me to think about my future as a teacher. I think that the free technology tools I have learned about in and out of classes are some of the best tools a teacher can use.
These tools are great for students, teachers, and parents alike. Not only are they free but they are also incredibly accessile... Even from a mobile phone. It is important to keep tools like this in mind for students/schools that may have lower socio-economic backgrounds. Many students, parents, and teachers have mobile phones even if they do not have access to a computer all of the time.
I completely agree. I remember that Sarah made a comment during one class about how she would send a Google form to her students' phones or the parents' phones and that people can complete them that way. While there are some people who do not have computers, almost every cell phone made today has internet capability and most people choose to activate the internet. Another cool thought- Ira was able to get a school to allow cell phones because he explained how valuable they were to education. Just think, if instead of textbooks, we gave students Ipads or Itouches, then downloaded the material. Students could then have their textbooks read out loud to them. They could read a paragraph and if they had a question, could close the browser and open up a Google search! Technology is all around us and hopefully people are starting to see the benefits, especially with students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this post! It is amazing that these days our lives are basically in our phones. This could be very useful to students. Also if things like ipads and ipods were given kids would no longer need books and could read everything online. If homework is given online, kids can do it on their phones. It is crazy to think about how far technology has come and what it will be like in 10 years or so.
ReplyDeleteBudgets can be a huge problem in schools, especially in the crisis we are facing as a nation. Learning about free resources and technology is very important. I liked learning in this class how much even a phone or iPod can be used for learning. These are devices a lot of students have. I liked the comments about textbooks too! So true! It is amazing what we can do with these things and amazing that many of the applications are free! Teachers need to look not at what they can't have because of budgets, they need to see what they can do with the things they do have!
ReplyDeleteWe are just becoming a digital society. MSU has gone paperless, we need to make laws so people do not text and drive. By using this technology we can be faster and more efficient. As for textbooks I know they have those KIndle devices which are just downloading books onto the device. They are pricey however the money saved just downloading books would save a bundle. Also instead of books being outdated by 10 years like at my high school they texts could be more up to date.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! I come from a very low socio-economic background, and the only technology that was available to me at home was a cell phone. It doesnt take long to complete assignments on your phone nowadays, especially if you have a QWERTY keyboard. I got through almost the entire semester of CEP using my Ipod for the internet!
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