Happy Fourth of July (long) weekend to all of our followers from the worlds of EdTech, STEM and K-12! Take a second out from your barbecues and join us in recapping this week in EdTech news! Enjoy!
The Apple Watch in the Special Education Classroom
Assistive technology, the EdTech movement’s younger sibling, doesn’t always pack as strong of a punch in the popularity department as EdTech, but the capabilities of some assistive tech products can have just as strong of an impact. In today’s world, with the release of new technologies seemingly occurring daily, almost anything can be used in more innovative ways and for a variety of different purposes. The latest example of that is the Apple Watch.
Thought to be an add-on for those who need to have the latest gadgets, the Apple Watch isn’t commonly associated with assistive technology or even with educational technology. Here’s how it can be used to help STEM-ify classrooms, though, particularly for Special-Education students. Font enlargement options on the watch provide for a much smoother reading and learning experience for those who struggle to see its tiny screen and read the data they are pulling up.
All they need to do is increase the font size on an iPhone paired with the watch and the text on the screen will automatically grow as well. Also, the watch’s touch-control allows much easier navigation for students who may not be able to use all 10 fingers. They can simply swipe or tap the screen to navigate and be able to use it to learn without the help of others. The vibrations from notifications have also been found to teach the students about cause and effect. When the watch receives a push notification, it vibrates and students were told to raise their hands when they felt the sensation. So far, there have been some positive results from introducing the Apple Watch in the classroom.
EdTech Forecast for the Near Future
The adoption of educational technology into classrooms around the world undoubtedly has the potential to totally reshape a child’s education going forward. These tools make important and often-used skills like communication, organization and collaboration easier for teachers to implement and for students to use and develop. EdTech has come a long way since it first became a staple in education and as products (and their creators) continue to get smarter, the future certainly does look even brighter.
Currently, there are more than a few 21st century teaching techniques that have been employed in schools. You’ve probably heard the terms “BYOD,” “3D printing” or “wearable technology.” Each of these are integral in creating a modern education environment in their own way and each are continuing to evolve. By rethinking traditional teaching methods, teachers have created cooperative classrooms and, based on what we have seen so far, integrating technology into the agenda will likely only push students closer to full preparation for future tech-filled careers.
In many schools, students are encouraged to bring and use their personal devices—tablets or smartphones—to expand upon classroom instruction. The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Movement is becoming much more common and experts predict that as early as two years from now, it will be as common in schools as recess. On top of that, the world of 3D printing seems to grow by the day with scientists finding innovative ways to create their own clothes, tools, food, cars and even houses. Expect that in the next three years almost every school will have its own 3D printer due to the unbelievable opportunities they create for students to explore objects and concepts, like mathematical graphs, they otherwise might have a hard time understanding. In the slightly more distant future, it’s been predicted that wearable technology, also known simply as “wearables” will make its way into most classrooms. They provide learning opportunities for regular students as well as those who have trouble focusing at school while also offering new learning opportunities in the form of virtual reality. Educators have already begun introducing wearables in their lessons to offer students a fresh way to learn and in the next few years, it is likely to become mainstream. Keep an eye out for each of these emerging tech trends over the next couple years and let us know if you’ve already adopted them in your class!
Maker Tech as a Crucial Tool for Students with Learning Difficulties
It is a reality and always has been that some students just don’t have the desire, focus or attention span to sit down, fully engage in a lesson and learn. It’s nothing against them—some kids are just wired differently than others. The good news is, however, get them up out of their desk and away from the classroom and their hands-on working skills are amazing. Some students don’t respond well to traditional learning methods. For them, there’s now another option.
Today, there are ways to combat these different learning styles with all sorts of technologies that help kids with reading, writing and problem solving—necessary skills to thrive in a typical classroom setting. The results of the recent trend have been twofold: Not only have children taken a keener interest in the classroom material, but teachers have also noted how they have shown much more potential in advancing their skills to better their futures. Specifically, children are cultivating elevated interests in one or more areas of STEM. The constantly updated pool of EdTech products also allows teachers to keep hands-on learning fresh and keep these students engaged for much longer periods of time than they had been able to do before.
The difference in this approach is that in the past, education has been focused primarily on students sitting down and being forced to read what, frankly, most people, especially them, consider to be dry material. Assistive tech options offer students a much more “student-friendly” reading experience by providing them with games or supplemental resources they can access from their smart devices right there in the classroom or at home. As a result of introducing fresh learning methods rather than futilely forcing uninspiring information into their brains, their skills in math, reading and writing have been improving.
Drone Use in Modern Classrooms
In 2015, any technology can be used in education—and if it helps kids learn, why shouldn’t it be? The latest and greatest tech tool to be integrated into some modern schools is the drone. Typically, we think of drones being used to spy on enemies or deliver a top-secret message across the country. The goal of drones in education, however, is to supplement standard lessons with hands-on activities and some educators have entertained the idea of allowing drones into their classrooms so they can use them as a learning tool collaboratively with their students.
Previously, drones have been adopted by teachers to more closely and efficiently monitor students during exams in an extended effort to prevent cheating. Now, educators are finding innovative ways to use these cutting-edge tools to augment instruction and students are responding well to the change. Some examples of drone use for any teachers who would like to give it a try include a band instructor using it to get an overhead view of practice, an agriculture teacher taking kids on a virtual field trip over a cornfield or a history teacher piloting over historic buildings or battlefields. With the proper planning, equipment and creative suggestions from students, however, anything is possible when piloting a device with this kind of power.
Although drone technology in education (and consumer drone technology in general) are each in the very early stages of existence, the possibility exists that they could someday soon play a large, important and utterly engaging role in education. It certainly has caught the eye of some interested teachers and perhaps in the next few years could evolve into a new way for everyone to learn. Combine it with a Makey Makey, for example, and kids could be able to pilot their own drone with any object they’d like.
Build Your Own Modern Learning Space
Since being adopted into education some years ago, e-learning has often been considered an individual endeavor as kids use devices such as laptops or tablets by themselves to enhance instruction. One of the most valuable aspects of learning and of a 21st century education as a whole, however, is collaboration. By combining e-learning with collaboration among groups of students, the process of obtaining the best education possible is greatly improved. Learn how you can do just that!
Now that you’ve decided that it would be good to transform and enhance your classroom space, how do you go about implementing it and getting students on board? Remember, the key is to continue involving technology in the lesson, but get students to engage in active communication and problem solving, which will result in better absorption and retention.
Two ways to do this are by including movies and/or blogs in the lesson. Both of these provide an opportunity for students to receive material in a way different from a traditional lecture, but they offer supplemental opportunities as well. Teachers can lead discussions after movies or nominate students to lead discussions within their groups. By putting a blog up on the class Smart Board, everyone in the room can engage in an e-Discussion as the class collectively brainstorms the key components of what was just taught. It’s relatively simple, but these are a couple of good suggestions for enhancing STEM skills, particularly communication and teamwork.
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