Chapter 11: Audiovisual Technologies

There are many audio and visual technologies that have been around for a while and that are recently emerging. A traditional audio technology is the record player and this device plays audio sounds like music or shows that are recorded onto a record and then played from a player specifically designed to play the records. This piece of early technology could still be used in the classroom today to teach students about history, along with historical events that are recorded on records. A traditional visual technology would be books and they can serve the many different purposes of teaching the reader something new, engulfing the reader into a fictional story, or being an escape for the reader from everyday life. Books can be very beneficial in the classroom today because they can use them for research support that would not be offered on the Internet. An emerging audio technology is the Ipod and this device can serve multiple functions depending on what version you have, but mostly it is used to listen to music. The iPod can be used in the classroom by uploading educational audio, speeches, or songs that could help the students remember information for a test or an exam. An emerging visual technology is using the Internet to watch videos. A popular site such as YouTube can be used in the classroom because teachers can pull up examples of what they are teaching about and this would help students to remember the information. With the incorporation of both traditional and emerging technology in the classroom, students will get a variety of experience with different types of technology.

Chapter 6: Digital Technologies in the Classroom

After reading chapter 6, I concluded that I would prefer to teach in a classroom that had more technology available rather than a classroom with less technology offered for student and teacher use. I came to this conclusion because of the multitude of teaching opportunities that are offered when using the different pieces of technology. Our book Teaching and Learning with Technologies gave great examples of this when discussing the many ways technology can be used in the classroom such as, teachers being able to give input through their voice instead of typing or writing out their thoughts. I thought this specific piece of technology was very interesting and it would be more convenient for both teachers and students because notes and feedback would be presented at a more rapid pace. Sharing students’ work and projects with the class could be done by using a scanner, digital camera, or flash drive up to a smartboard. The whole class could then learn from their peers and share their ideas with each other while giving a visual representation on what is being discussed. This would be very helpful and more convenient for everyone in the class because they could all be looking at the same example and have a discussion. By these few examples it is easy to see the many benefits that technology can provide for a classroom and the students in it.