Social and Legal Issues

There are many issues involved with the use of technology in the classroom. I think one issue that is very important is the use of filters and what information students should have access to on the Internet. It is important to protect students from inappropriate and inaccurate information, but it is also important to allow access to useful information. It is difficult to know where to draw the line between too much and too little protection. I think one way to do this correctly is to provide heavy protection to younger students and to allow more and more freedom as the students get older and more mature. It is important to educate the students on the proper use of the Internet, so whatever information they encounter it is handled appropriately.

Distance Education

Distance education can be looked at in many different ways. One of the positive aspects of this type of learning environment is that students who come from unstable situations are able to experience a stable learning environment with a constant curriculum. It is very difficult for students to be successful when they are missing school frequently or moving from place to place. Distance education gives these students the opportunity to experience a constant learning environment that moves throughout the curriculum with them.

While these types of students benefit from distance education, there are also come drawbacks. One of the disadvantages of distance learning is the lack of social interaction that the students receive from it. Learning how to act in different social situations is a very important tool. Many students learn these skills through public school and the interactions they experience with their peers and teachers. When students are not exposed to these interactions, they may not learn the appropriate social skills and ways to act.

There are many skills that students who are planning to participate in distance learning need to have. These students need to be responsible enough to work independently and get the work done when it is required of them. They also need to have social skills because they will not be learning how to interact with others in this type of situation. Students who participate in distance learning also need to be able to use a computer and the Internet. They need to be technology proficient to be able to navigate through the online school and get all the information that they need to know.

As a teacher of an online distance education programs there are many skills that are required of you that may not be necessary for a classroom teacher. The teacher of this type of learning environment needs to be knowledgeable in technology to be able to post the information that the children need know, communicate with the students, and create projects that take advantage of the technology used so the students are getting out of the situation everything they can. It is also important that the teacher know the content area so the students are learning the same information that a student in the classroom would be taught.

Emerging Technologies in the Classroom

There are many emerging technologies that can be useful in the classroom. Three of these technologies are wiki pages, skype/webcams, and aggregators. Wiki pages are a collection of pages that allow users to change, correct, and add to them. The most commonly known wiki page is Wikipedia. Webcams are video-capturing devices that are connected to computers or computer networks. Skype is a program that allows you to make phone calls, instant message, transfer files, and have video conferences. Aggregators are websites that keep track of websites specified by the user. It is one place to check all of the sites that interest you.

Below are web pages where you can access these technologies

http://pbwiki.com/
http://www.skype.com/

https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?hl=en&nui=1&service=reader&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Freader%2F

All of these technologies have so many possibilities in the classroom. Wiki pages could be used as class websites, collaborative projects, or a space for students to help create a website. These pages give the teacher the opportunity expose the children to things outside the classroom. Skype and webcams could be used to facilitate conferences, interviews and collaborative projects. These technologies would make life easier for the teacher because the students would still have access to things, even if it was not possible to take a trip. It would also give the teacher face-to-face contact with parents that may not be able to make it in for conferences. Aggregators can be used to organize pages that the class uses everyday. The aggregator gives the class only one spot to check instead of browsing for each one.

All of these technologies give the classroom access to things outside of the classroom. This is going to allow students with different learning styles to thrive. The students will have a way to reinforce what they have learned through different ways. Wiki pages could be used to show the students understand a specific topic by having them get into groups and make a wiki page. Skype and webcams would enhance lessons by allowing the students access to experts and exotic places. Aggregators would allow the students and the class a way to organize their online resources. All of these technologies could be helpful to benefit student learning.