"...technology does not always have to be emerging to be used in the classroom."
There are several technology tools available in the classroom. Although some of them have been around forever, there are emerging software applications that are used with these tools.
There are online word processors and spreadsheets.The documents can be modified and saved and shared with other users. Teachers can view and make comments on the student’s work. A group of students can even collaborate on a specific document. Through the revisions history, the teacher can see who contributed and when anything was worked on. This tool helps promote group work and peer editing skills. It also advocates writing as a process.
For information on specific online office tools, click here for Google Docs and click here for Zoho Docs
An interactive whiteboard or IWB, is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. It provides a simple, effective way of teaching software applications to a group of students. It allows teachers to spend longer time with individual pupils by either extending their learning skills or giving extra help to the ones who need it. The interactive whiteboard opens up new opportunities for presentation and communication. Information can be presented in exciting and engaging ways, creating more motivating outcomes. Interactive whiteboards allow collective engagement with learning problems at greater depth.
For information on specific IWBs, click here for Smart Boards and click here for Mimio Interactive Boards
In social bookmarking, teachers can use a Web-based service to save and organize bookmarks. They will be able to access these bookmarks no matter what computer they use and will be to share them with the whole class. Students can do the same and can even label their sites with keywords called tags which will then automatically be saved with sites of other users. Everyone will have access to these tags and can benefit from the research of others.
For information on specific social bookmarking sites, click here for Delicious and click here for Social Marker
Although blogging has been around for quite awhile, it is only recently that teachers have been using it as an educational tool. Students can post journal entries about a field trip or record results from scientific experiments. They also can post a summary of the day's lessons for those who need a refresher. There is also Vlogging, video blog, where students can come up with video projects.
For information on specific bloggers, click here for Google Blogger and click here for Vlog Blog
Web conferencing allows you to talk to several people over the computer. This software can be used as a great way of connecting your language classroom to a world of language speakers. Podcasts are digital recordings stored in a music file which can then be uploaded to a computer. There are many different activities that can be drawn from them. Each of these activities has, at least, one element of listening, which leads to more communicative class activities. Similarly, there are digital audio recording software that allows you to create your own recordings.
For information on specific web conferencing sites,
click here for Skype and
click here for Webex
For information on specific podcasts,
click here for Apple Podcasts and
click here for Audacity Digital Audio Recording
To be able to use these technology tools today is a great advantage. But very few teachers integrate technology into their lesson plans. Some teachers reason that there is a shortage of computer resources or that there is no time to add new lessons to an already packed plan. Most of the time, it is the teachers' skills and interest that play a major role in how much emerging technology is used.
Emerging Technologies:From Wheel to World Wide Web
Technology Thoughts for Teachers
Education World: Sites to See
Becta:The benefits of an interactive whiteboard
