Week 4

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the workshop this week so I had a good look at the readings that Jason set for us this week.


The one I found most interesting was the 2010 Horizon Report. It was quite astounding to see just how close some of these amazing technologies are to being an everyday component of our classrooms - its very exciting! This Report not only provided an in-depth insight into the technologies but how they can and will be implemented into various areas of the curriculum. 


I chose a couple of technologies from the Report that I was most interested in to discuss in my blog this week. They are Cloud Computing, Game-Based Learning and Augmented Reality. The time-to-adoption of these three technologies vary from one or less years, to four to five years - but its never too early to start thinking about the potential role they could play in our own classrooms.


Cloud Computing -
I have already started familiarising myself with this technology, and am currently using Google Documents to collaboratively work on a group assignment. Cloud computing paves the way for endless opportunities for students in remote communities all over the world that have limited access to resources and limited opportunity for collaborative-based learning. Many schools in the U.S. have already embraced this technology and are using it effectively in several key learning areas. In English, students are creating, editing and reviewing each other's writing assignments whilst in History, teachers are using mapping tools to create custom maps of historic battles and events. The possibilities for this technology really are endless and I can't wait to explore it further in my own classroom.


Game-Based Learning - 
This technology is predicted to take off within the next 2-3 years. To a certain degree, this technology is already being implemented in many learning environments but educators are yet to discover the true potential of game-based learning. Non-digital games have been around for decades in the classroom and digital games have been gaining popularity in recent times due to their educational features. However, the category of game-based learning that is yet to be widely implemented or explored in schools is collaborative, open-ended, challenge-based games. It is through this technology that researchers believe students will effectively learn to problem solve and construct knowledge through challenging and rewarding games. Some schools around the world are already implementing these types of games such as World of Warcraft - where students are taught skills in areas such as communication, online safety, mathematics and leadership. 


Augmented Reality - 
Although the concept of augmented reality has been around for quite a lot of years, it is only with the development of widespread technologies such as Smart Phones, IPods and IPads that we are starting to see more of this technology used in various contexts. The 2010 Horizon Report states that "Augmented Reality has strong potential for powerful and contextual learning experiences" and this potential will be put into more practice over the next 4-5 years. Across the curriculum, this technology has potential to be used in History (model objects so that students can envision how things would have looked in past era's), Science (turning a mobile device into a portable planetarium where students can explore the universe), and Language Arts (creating costumes and then became the characters by acting out the play in front of a camera). 


These are just a few of the technologies that I am really interested in and that I believe over the next 5 years will be essential tools in providing rich and diverse learning experiences.