As I got older I found ways to learn new things using apps. For teachers to use app as a tool to help students learn the material is a great way to connect and keep the students mind entertained so they can grasp the lessons. With informations so easy to access just by typing a question into google I feel having school appropriate apps for students is better because you can’t always trust the information on the internet. If the school finds an app or even developed their own app they can assure the information is correct for the students. For example an app that schools would benefit for teaching science would be Frog Dissection.
The Frog Dissection app has a virtual frog to show all the body parts without the actual dead frog in front of you. This is beneficial because for a few reasons. One it helps the environment by not killing frog and breeding them only for science. Two the students who are creeped out (I would be one of those) or for religious reasons will be able to do the lesson because it is a virtual frog versus real. And three is actually looks more fun and the students can look at it at home incase they missed something in class or needed some help with the homework. What I find would be challenging is could the schools afford it sure to budget restrictions, and will the school have the technology available for every student.
With that being said “Lack of access to technology is a crucial barrier to technology use by teachers.”(Maloy et al., 2013, pp. 31) I did not have any computers in my classrooms and we had to share books in school because of budget restraints. I know in Fort Myers most classrooms have computers because when I meet the teachers I see them and my daughters also tell me what they learned on them. As technology improves and newer versions come out how will the schools stay up to date with the students who may already know how to use the newer models is something I ask myself. I love technology but if you ask me to use a fax machine I won’t have an idea how to and I believe with students if you put them to learn a lesson on an old model piece of technology thats is slow and not up to date they would lose interest in the lesson plan. That would be the challenges the schools and teachers would have to over come to keep the students engaged.
What I would like to see more of is virtual lessons and tutoring. If schools took the same concepts as online colleges and applied it as a blended way of teaching in the classrooms I feel it would be very beneficial to the students and the parents. As a parent I have a hard time understanding the assignments my kids have and I question them didn’t you learn this in class. They usually come back with "I don’t know or I didn’t understand." If the lessons taught in class are available online the student and the parents can look at it to understand the assignments given. If the parents still cannot help with the lessons or are unavailable to help the student having a virtual tutor to reach out to is always another option. The challenge I would be how to provide a virtual tutor and what qualifications would they need? Would a virtual study group be easier within the class rooms instead? Also people learn differently and online might not work for them but having it available and having a tutor online available is the first few steps to getting a better grasp of lessons taught in school.
In conclusion even though I am familiar with some tools of technology that can be used to teach students; there can be challenges do to lack of funds or understanding on how to use the technology. A best practice would be to always continue to learn and explore by keeping an open mind. Most likely the students will already know how to use many of the new technologies out there and it is best to be ready to integrate it into the classroom when the time comes.
In conclusion even though I am familiar with some tools of technology that can be used to teach students; there can be challenges do to lack of funds or understanding on how to use the technology. A best practice would be to always continue to learn and explore by keeping an open mind. Most likely the students will already know how to use many of the new technologies out there and it is best to be ready to integrate it into the classroom when the time comes.
Reference
Educational App - iPad Mac Desktop Whitebroad & Intel AppUp. (2011). Retrieved September 11, 2016, from Virtual Frog Dissection | Educational App, http://frogvirtualdissection.com/
Maloy, R. W., Verock-O’Loughlin, R.-E., Amherst, M., Edwards, S. A., Woolf, P., & Woolf, B. P. (2013). Transforming learning with new technologies (with MyEducationKit) (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
MediaLab (2011, April 28). Virtual frog dissection App Retrieved from https://youtu.be/uonZSFg9xTE
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