Hello all,
For the folks of DC EDE 8741, please let me introduce myself. My name is Tim Quinn, aka tquinn02. Welcome to my blog “Technology in the Classroom”. If you would like to learn some information about me, please view my profile page on this Blogger account. You can either access it through the widget on the bottom right-hand corner of this page, or you can view information about my work, my interests, why I am interested in educational technology, as well as other information about me by clicking here.
Here are some questions that I would like to share with you based on the use of technology in the classroom.
1. What do you believe was the most important technological invention in history? Why?
Wow, that is a big question. Between the invention of radio and television for entertainment and instant news to inventing the space shuttle where it can fly into outer space, then to our present time and the invention of the computer that is used in every profession so those businesses can operate smoothly and survive, I would have to choose one that made a life changing significance.
It would be the pacemaker. This piece of technology is able to be a life saving piece of technology for any human being that has an irregular heartbeat in order to treat patients with arrhythmia. This piece of technology was first discovered by John Hopps in 1949, but then was invented small enough to place in the human body in by Wilson Greatbatch in 1958 where he used a lithium battery so the battery power was safe to place in the human battery and at the same time won’t run out of power This is the same battery to power portable electronic devices. Without this device, a lot of lives would either live a life of suffering and/or even died without the use of this important technological invention.
2. Please list a number of technologies you currently believe to be essential to your life. Place an asterisk (*) net to those you (tend to) believe to be insufficiently promoted in education.
*Cell Phone
Computer-desktop or Wi-Fi Laptop
TV
Interactive White Board
Copy Machine/Printer/Scanner
Car
Word Processing Softwares
Graphing Calculators
Tabulet Computing-IPad
Internet
I feel that cell phones are not being used enough in the classrooms because the cell phone can pretty much do any task. Not only can you communicate with others anymore just by calling someone else wirelessly, just like in the 1980s. Now you can communicate by text, Instant Messaging, Social Networking, E-mailing, Blogging, and so on. With the cell phone, you can have multiple applications (apps) to download for educational use. You can read books, respond answers electronically (student response system), take notes, and also have access to almost any multimedia and electronically printed resources all in the palm of your hands. Although schools in general are somewhat defensive about using this technology in the classroom, and that is because even though they know how to use the technology, students may not use this type of technology in a responsible matter in the classroom.
3. Indicate any uses of technology that you believe tend to be inappropriate or used excessively (by children in or out of school, by teachers in or out of school or promoted excessively (by the media, the computer industry, schools), i.e. ones that should be restricted or regulated in key ways.
Well, the first that comes to mind is Myspace, which is not as popular as it was years ago, but Facebook has been getting a better handle onto their users than Myspace did. It seems that social networks are a big impact on people’s everyday lives. There are social networks that make a promise to society, like Linkedin, to keep a professional connection to others in respective fields. Edmodo, so teachers and students can conduct a learning area online. Then there are other social networks like Myspace and Facebook has created great new way of communicating, but at what price. The intentions at first were innocent. Myspace was a social network of musicians, and Facebook was a social network for college students and professors. Since they have been evolving over time, there have been crimes, cyber-bullying, suicides, divorces, and other acts of misbehavior. Also, people get addicted to using this as a secondary, if not primary way of communication, which is developing people to be anti-social and using this tool excessively on a daily basis which is an hour or more out of their time.
Hello Tim,
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with you on the negative aspects of social media. As with early instant messaging and chat rooms, there are the issues of bullying and inappropriate content sharing. I also agree on the addiction and anti-social potentials.
Social, however, is here to stay. It is a firmly entrenched part of our society - for person to person, business to consumer, within businesses, and growing. Because of this, and the issues that you listed, I think it is critical that youth (and adults) are instructed on what Social is, how to use it appropriately, in moderation, and with due responsibility.