There are many systems and tools available in today’s marketplace that can help administrators and faculty to be successful in their everyday roles of educating students. With the topic of emerging issues in mind I decided this week to journey though the internet and research just how far some of these technologies have reached in terms of their use in modern day classrooms.
The 2010 tech report predicted six emerging technology. I decided to focus on cloud computing and ebooks; these I believe will have positive financial impact on school in school divisions as many administrators are faced with budget cuts.
Many schools are beginning to develop pilot programs to test these new technologies based the 2-3 year prediction made in the report. It is my view that it is important for both administrators and teachers to recognize the potential for these technologies to help them be more efficient and more effective in their day to day operations
E-Books
Electronic textbooks are usually accessed either through an online server or are downloaded to student laptops. More and more school districts are replacing traditional textbooks with electronic versions, and a few have decide on eliminating textbooks altogether. Many researchers believe using e-books will better prepare students for college and the workplace; several universities including students at Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve University among other. Recently the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia has gone on board by participating in a trial program to have students use ebooks. Many school administrators at the University level are exploring if electronic books are a good fit for higher education. The aim for many of these colleges is to find a way to reduce the costs of textbooks for students. In terms of high schools, I was surprised to find that many school counties had already begun pilot programs to test out this technology; For example Isle of Wright County Schools in Virginia spent more than $55,000 this summer provide students with Apple iTouch iPods to have access to eBooks in the event they get sick and have to miss a few days of school. Teachers of Hardy Elementary School in Smithfield Virginia have been using the technology as well.
In North Texas, Plano and Irving schools are introducing e-books into a few classrooms. Midland Independent School district is also moving away from textbooks entirely and using online resources. One remarkable finding while I research the topic was Philadelphia's School of the Future, designed by Bill Gates' Microsoft crew, opened in 2006 without a single textbooks – each student had a laptop, today all books used are online.
ü EBooks are delivered almost instantaneously.
ü Eco-friendly
ü EBooks take up less space/stored virtually
ü . EBooks are portable.
ü You can easily search for any information in an eBook, instead of turning page after page.
ü EBooks can be interactive and contain audio, video and animations, which can enhance the message that the author is trying to convey and enhance understanding for students
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is another big thing. This technology I believe has significant benefits mainly because of its potential to reduce hardware and software costs for both schools and districts. Cloud computing is using virtualization and various other technologies to share computer hardware and software resources on the internet A new set of recommendations to improve the school system recently released by the U.S. Department of Education advocate for educators to implement cloud computing solutions to improve the way students learn. The national education plan - entitled Transforming Education: Learning Powered by Technology - stresses that "21st century learning" is important for school districts and that cloud computing is one way of achieving this.
Cloud computing has already made an impact for some high school students. An article in Info World last year examined the creation of Minnesota's Online High School, a public school using cloud computing to educate students across the state.
Check out this video of three teachers from Keith Valley Middle school using cloud technology.
Other benefits of using Cloud Computing:
- Reduced and/or simplified expenditure on software licensing
- Decreased reliance on school-based IT staff – fewer applications hosted locally means less to do for school-based technical staff
- Enabling greater access for students and staff
- Reduce/eliminate problems associated with software version control and updates
- Cost effective.
- Allows for greater experimentation,- more web 2.0 tools can be explored without the common restrictions-
- Reduce barriers to participation, contribution, sharing.
- Allow Sharing and collaborating between students.
Credit
