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.