Emerging Technologies in the Classroom

The Document Camera is one technology that could be extremely useful in a classroom to project items large enough for the entire class to see. Unlike an overhead projector, Document Cameras allow you to put anything under them to project without having to go through the hassle of making transparency sheets. Another great technology to consider are Smart Boards. These are a great tool to use in the classroom to keep students involved with you while you teach. Not only can students write on the Smart Board as if it were a regular white board, but they can also use the Smart Board as a computer to illustrate to the entire class what they are doing. Skype is a third technology that can be used in a classroom to enhance the communication ability within you classroom. Skype allows students to communicate efficiently through internet, mobile and landlines with people all across the world. Having the increased communication would be a great tool to use during any sort of collaborative project. Below are resources to find more information about these technologies.

http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Boards/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype

http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Document+Camera/

Technology could impact my teaching by helping me to become better prepared for my classroom. In order to successfully integrate technology to my classroom I would have to become very familiar with the technology to ensure that it was only enhancing my lesson and not hindering it in any way. Integrating technology would also require planning to make sure that you have a back-up plan as well. Sometimes technology can be very difficult, and it is easy to run into problems that may hinder your lesson. Always being prepared for this will make your lessons go much smoother for both you and your students.
I think that technology could be very useful for student learning, and essentially would impact student learning in a positive way. Because so many learning styles exist, it is important to be able to adapt to each style through your teaching. Having the technology that would be able to help each and every student learn to the best of their abilities, and truly understand the material. Technology also can help students demonstrate their learning objectives because they are learning the material better through the technologies. Technology can a be a great resource to use in a classroom as long as the teacher knows exactly how to use that technology to enhance their students learning.