Chapter 6

Based on the reading I would rather teach in a classroom with fewer digital technologies. In chapter 6, it talked about incorporating scanners, digital cameras, graphic tablets, microphones, pen input devices, touch screens, electronic whiteboards, as well as data projections, speakers and headphones, and various others. While I know these many tools would help my students I find them to be very distracting and in some cases unnecessary. For instance teaching a simple lesson on how to make a letter, in my opinion, it is less time consuming to just show them on the board then to get some fancy equipment out to make a letter dance around on a screen. I agree with the book that older technologies are very static and don’t offer the excitement and interactivity of a whiteboard etc, but I also agree more with the idea that digital technologies are always emerging; that they take time to learn and use, they are expensive and complicated, and even though they are there to help the teacher they are often unreliable and break down during a lesson. So I personally would rather use few technologies in my room; just enough to keep it exciting and so I would be able to keep up with how to use them and update them properly… in no way would I want to have more than probably 5 technologies in my room after all, students should be learning from teachers not the technologies they are meant to assist.

Chapter 11

From the book the traditional audio media that I would use very often would be the technology that is becoming more and more less common, the audiocassettes; because they are cheap and very easy to use. I could have a circle of students listening to talking books on these with the use of earphones and this way they can have a book in front of them seeing the words and following along as the tape talks; this works for auditory learners and visual learners reiterating each type. The emerging audio technology that I find most beneficial is internet audio. This can be delivered through the internet by finding and downloading specific audio clips, saving you from buying a whole set when you only find certain parts to your liking. By downloading these audio clips with either Wav files or by MP3, you are even able to use them in podcasts. The internet audio technology has educational applications that are similar to traditional technologies so I could also use these to have the kids follow along with a book that is too expensive to buy on CD/tape or not worth the package cost.

The traditional visual technology I find myself liking is the overhead projector because of its versatility and inexpensiveness. I am very comfortable writing on transparencies as I had them growing up and I like the idea of giving a child their own to display a concept or project by put it on the projector so everyone can see what they created. They also make for easy clean up and are reusable once cleaned. The emerging technology I like much better and are seen throughout thousands of classrooms today are the digital projectors that attach to a computer and that does basically the same as a projector in terms of seeing. Unlike the standard projector, since these are compatible with the computer students can do power point presentations, show internet clips, make movies and countless other features available to them. Best of all I can even use them to explain material! For sure I will need a digital projector because although they may be expensive they are worth the money