WEEK 8 – THE FUTURE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

            Throughout this class, I have learned so much about different technologies from my own research and the different resources from the classroom Blackboard. However, my experience was greatly enriched by the knowledge and contribution of my fellow classmates and for that I am very grateful. As life-long learners, we realize the importance of collaboration all the more. It is true that no one person has all the answers, but with each individual contribution, a lot more is learned. I know without a doubt that I would not have learned single-handedly about all the technologies I read about in these eight weeks. A lot of the technologies stood out to me, but we were required to choose only three. With much difficulty, these are the three that I chose.

www.isage.org  (from Andrea Smith andreasmith6.blogspot.com)

I-Safe has been around for approximately 16 years and provides practice for appropriate netiquette, how to be responsible digital citizens when using information, communication, and technology. I-Safe can be used by educators to provide ongoing training to ensure that the classroom environment remains safe for students by blocking them from visiting illegal sites or websites that are not course-related. This technology can also be used to enable adult learners to become digitally literate. The use of technology is unavoidable and “Learners must be taught how to learn in a digital society” (Ribble, 2012).

With the proliferation of technology and the internet, teaching and practicing netiquette is more urgent now than ever before. If each user employs proper netiquette, then the internet will be a safe environment for all.

www.edX.com  (from Ian Bryan idlbryan.wordpress.com)

This site is an open online course provider and online learning platform which hosts online university-level classes in various disciplines worldwide.  EdX differs from other MOOC platforms in that it is nonprofit and runs on an open-source software platform.  The site was founded jointly by M.I.T. and Harvard University scholars in May 2012 and currently there are more than 60 schools, nonprofits, corporations, and international organizations that use the edX website.  The courses are available in English, Mandarin, French, Hindi and Spanish and as of late 2014 edX had more than 3 million users taking over 300 courses online.

This technology will be an asset to any classroom in that it will enhance and complement the existing curriculum and materials. Learners can log on and explore the site at their own convenience.

www.educanon.com  (from Mona Vartanian learningsucesswithmona.blogspot.com)

Educanon is an online collaboration tool that enables educators to integrate questions and activities within a YouTube video, Teacher Tube video, screencasts, and many other online videos. This integration promotes an active learning environment and increases students’ engagement. In addition, this technology offers instructors a system to keep track of students’ progress, which will assist them to review the critical aspects of a lesson with their students.

Collaboration is one of the skills essential for the way things are done presently. In using this technology, learners will learn and practice collaboration skills which will serve them well outside of the classroom setting.