5 K-12 Technology Trends for 2010

Summary:

This article talks about all the new and upcoming technology that will be used by students and in the classroom this year.  They talked about the rise of the ebooks and how they will help to reduce the load that students will have to carry from class to class all day.  The downside of the ebooks, though, is that they have not quite reached the textbook stage so it will be sometime before the technology will be ready for that level.  They also talked about the use of interactive whiteboards and how they are helpful in the classroom because it sets up an interactive learning environment for students.  There will also be a rise in the use of netbooks, which are sort of like smaller laptops.  Netbooks are lightweight and have multiple functions for students, so they can also help lighten the load of an average student.  Netbooks also offer those students who cannot afford a personal computer a chance to work with something just like it because they are much more affordable that personal computers.

Another trend that this article anticipates is the educational use of cell phones and ipods.  More and more students are coming to class equipped with smart phones and the like that have capabilities that could be very useful in the classroom so they see them becoming a resource.  Finally, they see a rise in the use of technology as a way to customize curriculum for students.  There is technology now that can be used to assess and track students throughout their public schooling and this will provide teachers with the information they need to make sure all of their students are on track and are where they should be in their class.

Review:

It was interesting to read about the rise of technology in schools in 2010 and I have seen some of it myself.  For example, I have definitely seen a lot of interactive boards in classrooms in the last year, which is something I was never able to use until college.  The students really like these interactive whiteboards and they have a lot of neat features that are very beneficial to a teacher.  You can save notes that were written on it during class and even insert the sound from what was being said while writing on the board.  This could be very helpful for students who were absent that day.

I also like that ebooks and netbooks are being introduced to more and more students because it does lighten their load and allows accessibility to pretty much everything they need.  It does get a little exhausting on the eyes looking at a computer screen all of the time though!

Personally, I don’t think it is very smart to allow cell-phone or ipod use in the classroom because it is too distracting for students.  I agree that they could be helpful in some ways but I do not feel that the benefits of them out weigh the cost of distraction for the students.  It is way too easy for them to be sidetracked to something else while on their phones.  I think I would have to see this work in another classroom before I ever considered trying it.

Citation:

McCrea, Bridget.  (2009).  5 K-12 Technology Trends for 2010.  The Journal, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/12/10/5-k12-technology-trends-for-2010.aspx