Blog Post #8

After reading all of the different technologies mentioned in chapter 12, I think that Gamification holds the biggest promise for education. Personally, I think it is very hard for students to simply sit in a classroom and just listen to a teacher lecture. Gamification, on the other hand, is a great way for the students to be interactive and have fun while learning. In addition, it allows the student to have increased motivation and encourages creativity while deepening their understanding of the content. This technology is actually already used today in classrooms but has the potential to become something larger and popular. For example, one outstanding game is called ATOMS. Learners can create, test their inventions, and experiment with how electronics work by plugging electronic blocks together. This technology would be used in ways to teach students, to complete class projects, and lastly used to test students and another way for them to study.

The digital divide is at term that has been used to discuss the gap between people who do and do not have access to technology. Personally, I am definitely on the side of having the advantage of having technology. As a student in the the year of 2016, I have access to many forms of technology, for example, computer, internet, iPads, and phones. In addition, I also have access to wifi almost everywhere I go which allows me to be on the internet at any time I want. With the digital divide, there will be some challenges in my classroom. Some students will have access to computer, while others will not. This will make it complicated because some students will be able to do things at home that others won't be able to do. For example, say I assign a project using Powerpoint and some students don't finish in class. Students with computers at home will have an advantage because they can simply save it and continue working on it. Those who do not have access, won't be able to work on it at home, which is unfair for them. As a teacher, I would have to give each student a sufficient amount of time to get all their work done on the computer. In addition, if I had extra time on my hands, I would allow those who do not have access to computer to have some extra time in the classroom, whether it be before or after class, to complete their work.

After completing the Powerpoint for Information Dissemination assignment, I was able to learn how to include a voice recording in a powerpoint slide. Although I have had much experience using Powerpoint, I was never asked to record my voice. Other than that, I pretty much knew how to do all the other requirements. My favorite part of this assignment was being creative and having full freedom of how to create our slides. I love to be creative and this project was a great was to express our creativity involving technology. One way I would improve this for next time, is working on my organization and the way graphs and pictures are set up. Sometimes, there could be too much information and too much going on with a slide that it becomes overwhelming.