Emerging Technologies

In the past, the use of technology was reserved for computer classes, while English, Math and other core classes kept to their textbooks. When we look toward the future, however, we can predict many changes in the way classrooms incorporate emerging technologies. These changes do not only apply to the computer labs in our schools. As new technologies become increasingly useful educational tools, we see them entering our core curriculum and becoming a mainstay in classes where they once seemed unnecessary.

One of these technologies is the digital whiteboard, such as the Smartboard. With this technology, whatever is written on it can be saved and referred back to later. With a regular whiteboard, once the information is erased it is lost unless someone has taken the time to copy it down by hand or type it in a document. With a digital whiteboard, an image is recorded, saving anything written on it. Graphic whiteboards are also used for projections and computer displays. You can learn more about Smartboards by visiting http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Boards/ or by reading the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 4, which can be found at http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_leverduffy_teachtech_3/72/18509/4738466.cw/index.html.

I think that Smartboard can be a very useful tool for classrooms. For example, during a lecture, a teacher no longer has to choose between hand-copying all of the notes or loosing what was written. The teacher can avoid the nagging pause in the lecture where the board becomes full and time is taken to allow the students to catch up. Because the notes are saved by the Smartboard, the lecture can continue and the students can finish up the notes at the end. Also, students who were absent during the lecture have access to them even if they have been erased by the teacher. This also applies to students who have trouble learning by listening to lecture and taking notes. The content of the notes will be available to these students, as well as to any other students who may have questions. I would be excited to utilize this tool in my future English classrooms because of the timesaving and convenience it offers.

Ebooks are another technology that is emerging and will soon find itself in classrooms. Ebooks are books that have been reprinted in an electronic format and can be downloaded to computers, ipods, PDAs, and other electronic devices. Though some Ebooks have to be paid for but others can be downloaded for free. Websites that offer the downloads work almost as electronic libraries and bookstores. Websites that offer more information and downloadable Ebooks include www.ereader.com, www.manybooks.com, and www.ebooksandmore.eu/index.htm.

Ebooks can be good resources for research and for reading that enhances or supplements the classroom curriculum, especially in an English classroom. By providing the students with resources other than those found in the school (or even the city) library, their range of knowledge and discovery may be broadened. By supplying students with as much diverse information as possible we will be helping them break their own knowledge boundaries that have been set be accessibility. Also, by downloading an Ebook onto a personal electronic device that students are likely to carry with them anyway, we are increasing the chances that homework will be done and learning will take place. Downloading Ebooks helps to literally let the student read anytime anywhere without having to carry a book around. Though I personally don’t feel that an electronic copy of a book can replace the feeling of curling up in a blanket and relaxing with a novel, it is no surprise that today’s younger generation is more likely to be entertained through video games and Myspace than reading, Ebooks may be a step toward bridging this gap.

Another interesting technology tool making its way into the classroom is the SketchUp software. Though originally designed for architects, students are using it in school to build 3-D models. SketchUp is a drafting software that helps design graphic images of objects, buildings, cities, etc. This software is described further at http://www.google.com/educators/p_sketchup.html. The site also describes the program’s usefulness when used with Google Earth.

SketchUp software can be used in many different classrooms and situations. Instead of building actual dioramas, students can create 3-D models and save materials. Other ideas provided on the website include using the software to create 3-D scene layouts for plays and movies, and to teach about mathematical concepts, such as volume. In my own classroom, I would use this during a creative writing unit, to teach setting.