Blog Post #5

Web 2.0 tools, I believe, is the future of technology as although it is more sophisticated, it is more immersive and overall more efficient for future generations to become accustomed to to use effectively. After listening to the podcast and searching for other examples of Web 2.0 tools and technology, I believe a good platform for a classroom setting is YouTube, as I have seen it used to explain in a quick but detailed manor certain lessons while providing visual examples that manage to help all types of learners; whether it be visual or auditory. Another technology I think is useful is Twitter due to its quick nature. Students and teachers can be on the same page with twitter and share useful information for class and other forms of entertainment.

One of my personal favorite Web 2.0 technology would be google slides and google docs. Those tools have been intensely helpful with collaborating with group projects as it provides a platform we can all edit without having to be in the same room. I wish I had these tools in high school as it would have made group projects so much easier. Being able to edit and see other peoples edits on a presentation or document in real time is leagues better than having to make edits one by one, making the whole process that much more efficient and less frustrating. It also allows us to chat in a text box while we are working on it so we stay in communication. As a teacher, this tool could help students who do not have access to certain transportation but still allows them to be productive and collaborative with teammates.

I believe that 3D printing is the end all be all for our future. Right now it is in a very young stage, but the benefits we have seen from it have already opened doors for many people. From gaining a limb back that was lost, to printing cost saving technologies. Once 3D printing really gets steam beneath it, I believe our future will never be the same. Products that were costly are now cheap, perhaps houses will be able to be printed cutting out all labor costs and dangers. It will be a world where anything can be downloaded and printed at any time. It reminds me of when the first car was introduced, many claimed it had no real place over horses and that it was too much of a hassle to effectively use, now a hundred years later everyone and their kid owns a car. This will be the same with 3D printing, and so 20 years from now we will be living in a different world almost. This I am excited to see unfold in my lifetime. As for utilization in the classroom? Subjects that are being studied can be printed out in detail for students to examine, I can imagine this application being used for a biology class where hands on learning is necessary, but its applications can be spread across all classes and subjects.