When viewing the materials provided that discuss different technologies and their possible applications in the education system, I see two different ways in which these technologies will be used in schools. Technologies like thin clients, blade PCs, and virtualization involve the bigger picture of technology in schools: servers, storage, operating systems, physical memory, etc. These technologies are cost effective, take up less physical space within a school, allow for several people to use resources, provide better security, and allows for better management. In addition, technologies like gesture-based learning and learning analytics, deal more with classroom use, and in my opinion, are more relevant to educators. I hope we will see an increase of these technologies in schools soon, but change in education is a difficult thing to accomplish. One issue with implementing new technology is how quickly that technology can be outdated. Schools will have to spend a lot of money to gain new technology, and chances are a new more innovative technology will hit the markets soon. While I understand this issue, an increase of technology in schools, whether it soon becomes outdated or not, is going to lead to students being more prepared to enter society.
While I found each piece of material to be interesting, and thought provoking, the videos and article discussing gesture-based technology and education gave me the most insight into the direction I would like my future teaching to take. The ZDNET article discussed benefits of gesture-based learning as, “Not only is the nature of gestures universal, and more natural than operating a mouse or keyboard, but it could be a valuable tool in maintaining and focusing students’ attention, and promoting an interactive classroom.” I envision using gesture-based learning in my future classrooms because of how it prepares students for a tech savvy society, engages students who learn in different ways, and increases the knowledge that can be taught.
There are some downfalls to implementing technology like gesture-based technology. As some of the sources mentioned, teachers today are limited in how they can use technology. In the Kinect & Gesture-Based Technology & Education video, Johnny Kissco discussed that there are parameters influencing everyday interactions, many teachers today have innovative ideas but the opportunity to explore these ideas isn’t there because of constraints like standardized testing and being required to teach to a set of certain standards. However, Kissco suggests that gesture-based learning can give classrooms a new identity, without changing the design of classrooms. Changes in education are not drastic, but rather, occur in small steps and starting to integrate technology a little at a time is what it will take to shift our classrooms to being more relevant and beneficial to students.
With an increase in technology comes a requirement for more teacher training in the technology. I can remember back to my student-teaching days, when the school I was working at started using iPod touches for teachers to administer DIBELS tests. Before teachers started using the devices, they went through two training sessions, which I participated in, and many teachers still didn’t feel comfortable with the technology. This was a few years back, and it baffles me today to remember that the teachers struggled so much with just learning the basics of using an iPod touch. Today, if iPod touch devices were put into a school, I think teachers would feel more comfortable because of the increase of gesture-based devices in society, but it is a good reminder of the professional development that comes along with implementing something new in a school.
I don’t foresee any of these technologies being implemented in the near future where I currently work, because it is a preschool, not a public school, but I do see an increase in public schools happening soon. As I viewed the required material, I found myself considering how these technologies are currently used, both at WOU and in public schools, but also visualizing the possibilities for use of these technologies. As a new generation of teachers begin to enter schools, it is important that we advocate for change in our education system, including an increase in technology within our classrooms.
