7/23/2015 Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: iPad, Tablet, Computer, Listening CentersRead Now
Digital videos, video games, and other technology are great tools in the classroom. Yes, there is an initial investment and it can be costly. But here's a list of reasons to use technology in classrooms:
1. Students love it (It's their favorite medium) 2. Engages the four key components to learning: Active Engagement, Group participation, Frequent Interaction/Feedback, Connection to Real World Experts 3. Professional Development (to prepare for future employment) 4. Makes Life Easier for Teachers 5. Improves test scores 6. Helps students with low attention spans - reaches students through different methods. (ESL, Sp. Ed.) 7. Learn from the experts 8. Encourages homework - flipped classroom 9. Saves money (Increases the number of functional teachers in the classroom. Less money needed for curriculum resources.) 10. Removes obstacles (amplifies voice) I am all for this, but budget is an issue where I teach. Here are my questions: Are there technology grants for adult schools? How do we overcome obstacles of fear, usually with the older adult students, and obstacles of language, especially with beginning level ESL students? Reference Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: IPad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers. (2014, October 7). Retrieved July 23, 2015.
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So, what is the allure of Snapchat? Setting aside its reputation as the sexting app, it has a wide appeal for young people. A Snapchat picture can only live between 1 - 10 seconds, then it fades away. This appeals to young people. There are no comments or likes on Snapchat, so there’s less pressure to crop or adjust the lighting to make a perfect picture.
One feature of Snapchat is it allows people to use pictures and video to tell stories. You can create “Stories” around a central theme and take pictures and brief videos throughout the day to add to the story. Once this is all put together, the whole thing only “lives” for 24 hours. An example of the power of Snapchat was illustrated by Jerome Jarre. Jarre has 1 million Snapchat followers, aka fans. He sent a snap to have people meet him in Union Square at 3pm and a huge crowd showed up. Just to get a taste of snapchat, I downloaded the app to try it out. I send a few Snaps to my only friend, my 13 year old daughter. I can see the appeal for young people. It can be a fun way to tell a story. But, I don’t see it as truly “documenting” a story because the documentation fades away. Do any educators use Snapchat for learning/teaching? If so, how is it used? Reference Neistat, C. (2014, October 2). Snapchat Murders Facebook. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
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