Blog Post #6

For this post I decided to check out my old high schools website to see what info I could find. It reminded me of the good ol' days, however I was on a mission. I did not find anything out of the ordinary, just the usual clubs and activities pages, a show of their athletics and a page for all their academics. Student life is a central point as this website is geared to help students navigate and resolve issues they have with ease online. There is a page for alumni, but mainly for donation purposes, a page for the history of the school and an about us link that takes us to their mission. I cannot find anything unique or surprising other than the fact it is a private catholic school that has links that lead to religious statements. This does bring me back though.

http://www.cardinalnewman.com/

I use technology for basically everything in regards to being productive. I cannot imagine a classroom where I am not being aided by some form of tech, like Microsoft word or powerpoint. It is simply more efficient than having to hand write information on the board, I can deliver the information to students quickly while being able to discuss what each slide means, along with visuals and graphs to help students better understand the subject material. Time is being used effectively and students who are struggling can utilize technology to find better ways to learn, and as a teacher it would be my job to help them find the best strategies for learning.

My favorite part of the Tech sandbox tour was the VR. It was seriously to cool for school. The applications this can have for classrooms goes beyond anything I could have ever expected as a child. It is like the Magic School Bus TV show, where the only limits are imagination. Students can get first person experience on what its like beneath the ocean, or what space looks like, and the interactive features made the hands on experience quite literally hands on. This can get students very interested in learning as they are getting a real virtual experience that they will remember far longer than just hearing lecture and reading slides. I think VR is the future of learning and gaming and will be a useful tool for generations to come.