Online Technology In the Classroom

It never fails to amaze me when I look around in class and see students with iPads and computers; and I love it! I often refer to my generation as the Atari generation.  We're able to say we used the first generation game system.  Hard to believe we were so excited about the game Pong (or the tank battle), but we were.

The evolution of technology has seen it find its way into our classrooms.  It's certainly everywhere else, so that move was inevitable.  Our school district rightly views the use of technology as an enhancement to the learning experience.  All of the websites and programs your students use have been approved by the district and made available to you for review.

 One of the sites your child will use is Wikispaces.com.  This is an educational based platform designed for collaborative group work.  Group work is beneficial for students who might be struggling with a certain concept within our unit.  Students work together creating wikis and then working as a team to edit them.  The platform "contains formative assessment tools for monitoring and gauging student activities and progress in real time" (Eaton, 2012).  

Learners can actively create and display their own knowledge to the online community in multiple ways, such as exhibits, embedded media, discussions, and performances. Learners can communicate and collaborate with others while being immersed in a shared space.  Integrating technology will benefit the audio/visual and kinesthetic learner whose mind might drift during traditional lectures.

Eaton, C. (2012). Creating a vibrant online classroom. The Education Digest, 77(8), 59-60. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1008666070?accountid=12085

Seo, Kay. Using Social Media Effectively in the Classroom : Blogs, Wikis, Twitter, and More. Independence, KY, USA: Routledge, 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 12 December 2014.