Using Popular Technologies in the Classroom

Students today are comfortable using a wide variety of technologies, and many times they even use multiple technologies at the same time. It's important for teachers to take advantage of their students' interest in technology, and to use for education the types of technology that students are already using for fun. I think teachers can incorporate education into any of these technologies, as long as the technology doesn't distract from the educational purpose.

I personally would probably not use chat rooms or instant messaging in my classroom. I can't think of any way that I would be able to use them while in class, and I think it would be too complicated to get everyone to log on outside of class. If someone did choose to use a chat room or instant messenger, they should create their own private room on a safe website so that the chat room is safe for the students and nobody outside of the class can come in and read or write in it.

There definitely are benefits to using asynchronous forms of communication over face-to-face communication. I like when teachers use online discussions to complement what we learn in class. Online discussions allow all the students to share their ideas and opinions, so those who might not participate in face-to-face discussions have a "voice" while writing online. Also, they allow students to think about their responses so they can write a good answer for the question. They are also useful because students can see what others write, and everyone can respond to each other's posts.

Podcasts can be helpful for students in several ways. One is to find podcasts related to what the students are learning, and show them during class or have students look them up on their own to discuss them in class. This could be a good way to show different perspectives on a subject by a variety of people, maybe including experts in that subject. Teachers can also create their own podcasts to update their students on assignments and add information that they didn't get to cover in class. I think the best way to incorporate podcasts in class is to actually have students create a podcast. They could be used for group projects where each group teaches a certain topic, and the rest of the class can watch the podcast. A podcast project would get students involved as they make the videos, allow them to be creative while learning, and provide a more interesting way to present a project instead of standing in front of the class and talking.

I think educational video games can be useful in the classroom to some extent. I wouldn't let students play them every day, but video games can be used as a reward for finishing in-class work early or something like that. As long as the games are relevant to the class, they can help students learn by giving them visual representations and allowing them to explore the subject virtually first-hand. I also agree that allowing students to develop video games is beneficial for them. Like the article says, when students create a game they become "subject matter experts" because they not only see the information, but they have to find ways to incorporate the information into the game in order to teach it to others. Also, when students create a video game, they are not simply staring at a screen playing a game passively; they become "producers" of information and are forced to be involved in organizing and using information for a purpose.