Will Be Gracing The Classroom

5 New Technologies That Are/Will Be Gracing The Classroom image via blog.presta.com Technology is advancing right under our noses. One minute, we are all writing with pens on paper and then BAM, we are suddenly leaving that behind and turning toward technology to get the work done for us. So what can you expect to find being used in a modern-day classroom and in the near future? Here are a few things that you should familiarize yourself with: image via www.padgadget.com 1)  Tablets When I got to college, I assumed everyone would have their nose buried behind a laptop screen, just like it is in the movies. Though many students do use laptops, iPads are starting to sprout up as the new note-taking device/ classroom best friend. You can buy a keyboard if you are speedy at typing, or buy a stylus and still get that “taking notes by hand feel. There are even apps, like NotesPlus, where you can write it by hand with a stylus, and the program will type it for you. When taking notes with an iPad, you can put direct screen shots of important slides into your notes, so you will be able to reference them when you go back to study. Students also have the option to record a lecture as they type/write, which is awesome because we all know how hard it is to write and listen at the same time. iPads are much lighter than computers, another quality that is helping them gain popularity among college students. Some schools have even begun requiring students to have iPads.Who knows how long it will be before pen and paper dont exist? 2)  SMART Boards My sister, who is currently in high school, came home one day and was telling us about this new thing called a  SMART Board, and I had no idea what she was talking about. image via www.plymouth.edu Basically, it is a whiteboard that is interactive, allowing teachers to write digital notes that will be saved and students will be able to access (perfect for if you are absent or slow at taking notes). It is being introduced to colleges as well, when the funding is allowed. Word or PDF documents can be transferred from a computer onto the SMART Board screen, allowing the professor to highlight, circle and write onto the document as much as their heart desires. This is awesome, because it will help students know exactly what the teacher is referencing and provide better communication. 3)  PowerPoint PowerPoints are another great way for professors to get their lectures across, especially if they have bad handwriting! PowerPoints have advanced so much and provide a great note taking experience. image via blogs.nvcc.edu It allows the professors to elaborate on their notes and give more attention to the students, rather than having their backs to the students as they scribble something down every five seconds. Zach Beckman, a third year theater student at UC Santa Cruz, said “it’s great to have videos in class [via PowerPoint] because it is far more stimulating.” Focusing for over an hour is always a struggle for students, so having something to focus on that is actually moving will definitely help. Beckman also mentioned, however, that there were a lot of internet problems in his classroom, which of course does not coincide very nicely with PowerPoint. His teacher would have to refer the students to the videos a lot instead of getting to show them in class. “This particular class was fairly dependent on visual example because it was the medium of set design and the absence of professor commentary was a letdown,” Beckman said. He described technology as being a “double-edged sword” in this case, which is the danger of technology. We love advancement, but there are always things that can go wrong. 4)  Social Media Facebook, really? Yes, and not just for passing the time; Facebook is actually starting to make appearances in an academic setting. Many students will form Facebook groups with class/section mates and their T.A.s in order to get extra help. Students can post documents with study guides, ask each other questions, give advice and get to know one another! I mean, youre always on Facebook anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone and actually get some studying done as well? image via www.deepspacemarketing.com Abby Ventura, a second year biology student at UC Santa Cruz, had to make a Twitter account for one of her classes, because her professor wanted to be able to inform them via a social media site, but did not want to add everyone on Facebook. He would update his Twitter about tests, homework and other things that students could easily check. Lindsay Banks, a second year psychology student at UC Santa Cruz, had to make a Tumblr account for her art class, and had to upload pictures of her pieces so her T.A. could see them and make sure that everything was being completed on time. Even though we are all so engrossed in our social media sites, it is still a strange concept that soon our professors will all be tweeting us that class is cancelled instead of sending out an email or simply posting a note on the door. Feel old yet? I sure do. 5)  Augmented Reality image via jacket2.org Last year, for our winter Living Writers’ Series at UC Santa Cruz, there was an author named Amaranth Borsuk, who wowed us with her digital pop-up book of poems, Between Page and Screen. Looking at the actual page, you just see a square with some shapes in it, but once you hold the book up to your web cam, the words come to life! And not just as boring old text; the words will spin, make cool shapes, shatter down the pageyou never know what to expect. Though this technology isnt in effect in classrooms yet, I really hope it will be. This will add a whole new realm to the learning experience, and will actually encourage students to read since it will be like uncovering a mystery. The different effects of the text (shapes and such) also add more meaning to the text, and give the author the ability to share so much more with the reader. The software for this awesome reading experience utilizes  FLARToolkit  to project animations in an augmented-reality. The application also uses the  Robot Legs  framework,  Papervision  3D engine,BetweenAS3  animation engine and  Jiglib  physics engine. Want to know more and get your hands on the book? Heres the link. Technology is awesome, but dont forget how to write things by hand either! You never know when good old pen and paper will come in handy. 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