Technology Infusion

If you think about the leaps and bounds that technology has made in the last few decades, even in the last few years, it is amazing to witness the progress and speculate on what might change in the near future. The classroom is a perfect example of this technology evolution. When I was in school, there weren't telephones in the classrooms. Someone either had to walk in to the classroom if they needed to talk to you, or if it was the office, they might be able to call over the PA system...although that went out to the whole school. Library time was for checking out books, and there certainly weren't TVs in the classrooms, or iPads and laptops for teachers to use. In fact, there weren't even computers in the main classrooms at all. A modern classroom couldn't function that way anymore.

Most classrooms now have a mounted projector, or at least a document camera, those are basic necessities for a classroom these days, replacing the old overhead projector with the transparencies. Teachers also have phones and computers, and then certain schools or districts go beyond that to iPads/iPods in the classroom, some having "Bring your own device" policies, I've even seen classrooms equipped with Apple TV. But what benefit does infusing your classroom with all of this technology have for the children? Technology can be of great benefit to a classroom, if used correctly.  Teachers need to be well-versed in all aspects of the technology they will be using, but having an iPad in the classroom, one that is set up to share with a SmartBoard, or other students would be great for presenting projects and sharing resources and information. Certain games that are educational can help children learn new topics, or Special Education students might benefit from apps designed for them specifically. It gives kids instant access to information that they would not have had without a technology infused classroom, which makes the learning more relevant to them, as everything is virtually "instant gratification" in society today.

This info graphic gives some great stats on the 21st Century Classroom.

So, what could a "Classroom of the Future" look like? One high-school Junior brings an amazing concept to life in this video.

Visual Literacy and the Internet

Every day that I step into my classroom I am showing students not only how to use technology in their everyday lives, but also how to make sense of the information that they are finding. This visual literacy is imperative in this day and age. Discerning not only what is "school appropriate" from the Internet, but also what is useful, usable, and from a reliable source can be difficult at the Jr. High level. They are so inundated with materials from just about every source imaginable, that it can become muddied, and they can end up using information that is not true or reliable, because they lack visual literacy.

The array below shows somethings to consider, or that might be helpful, in defining visual literacy, and this is something that every student using the Internet should have for reference.

Visual Literacy Array

This array can be broadened as well, to incorporate not just images, as it concentrates on here. Anything that is found on the Internet, an article, a video, an image, or even just a webpage all need to be interpreted and evaluated. Sources are important, and they need to be reliable...I keep telling my students that Google is not a reference, and Wikipedia is NOT reliable.  Teaching them skills like this, even in Jr. High will be incredibly valuable to them for the rest of their educational career and beyond.

The Internet is what kids today are used to using, and they are acclimated to all different types of technology. It is great to be able to integrate what they are learning with how they learn. For example, take a look at this video from a Jr. High teacher using iPads and Apple TV in his classroom.

If we're teaching the way that kids learn, they're more likely to retain the information. That is the key for all learning, retention. That way, they are more likely to actually use that knowledge once they are out of school.