I've come to the realization that in order to better oneself in the world we live today, the use of technology is a must! I've always been old fashion, but that has changed especially with the ever changing landscape of the modern day college student.
SKYPE: Probably one of the most frequently tools used by me, both for educational and personal use. I have close group of best friends where we all happen to be business majors and take or have taken the same classes even though we all attend different schools. Through skype we can send files of data readily, so with that we all can have the same work in front of us in a conference call and it aids in helping each other out on whatever work it is. For example, my friend going to school in New Jersey is an accounting major, so if I were having problem creating a cash flow statement, I'll just send him the excel file and he can walk me through it, explaining where each item goes. Your probably asking why not ask someone in your class? But my study and doing assignment work hours are generally different from others. I work better late at night meaning 1 a.m- 6am, so this is where skype comes to use by being able to get help with the person not being there physically.
WIKIPEDIA: Most teachers prohibit the use of wiki but lets be honest with ourselves, Wikipedia is the first place you search something nowadays. I use wiki to get a basic understanding of whatever i'm searching whether its a word, person, event, thing etc. Its a great reference tool but should be used carefully as anyone can input in wiki.
VIDEO: Visual learner? Yes that's me! Learning anything through visuals is a great asset for me as I am able to understand concepts better. YouTube is definitely the number one source when it comes to my video learning. You can find informational videos about anything. For example, I was watching a documentary for my history class which is based off the same book we have to read. With this documentary it has save me time that I would've used to read the book in order to write the book report.
Technology in a classroom supports the lecturing in a classroom but at the same time can be a distraction in the classroom. At the end of the day, it depends on the technology being used. For example, an arranged Skype video call with an official from the US embassy in China about foreign policy in a political class can be very resourceful. Whiles the use of personal laptops by every student in a class can cause distraction through the use of social websites like Facebook, twitter etc.
Great post!!!! You took all the ways in which you use technology for classes and broke them all down. In your blog you mention that you are a visual learner (so am I), I think the use of video in the classroom through technological advances is a wonderful way to learn; so that you can actually see how processes and problems are solved or learned. Skype is another tool you brought up and is a way for people to communicate all over the world through video. Again, I loved your post-very informative!
ReplyDeleteyeah ive used visual learning a few times, like when i searched "how to tie a tie" on youtube..
ReplyDeleteI don't commonly use skype, but this is the first year that I have used it in a classroom and find that it is a good tool to use and is very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI use wikipedia for almost any question I have about anything. I completely agree that it is 100% effective technology for students
ReplyDelete