emerging technology

Technology is constantly changing. It is a very important part of our society, which has a huge influence us. As a future teacher, I am looking mainly at emerging technologies in the classroom. As I searched for new technologies in the classroom online I realized that there are a lot more than I had ever expected. Each of these not only has an impact on me as the teacher but also my students.
One emerging technology that can be used in the classroom is Smart boards. These pieces of technology have become very big within the last four to six years. I remember using them in my high school classrooms, and loved them. These pieces of technology are very useful to the teachers for many reasons. One, teachers can put up their entire lesson plan for the day on the smart board, instead of having to continue writing on the chalk board or white board. My teachers loved this because it took them because it allowed them to be more interactive with their students during their lessons, instead of just looking at the board and writing. Smart boards also have a huge impact on student learning. These pieces of technology allow for more interaction between students, teachers, and the classroom as a whole. I noticed that more students would pay attention during lectures because they found the technology “cool.” Also, more students would volunteer to participate in class because that meant they got to “play” with the Smart board. Therefore, Smart boards make learning fun and engaging for both the students and the teachers.
Another emerging technology would be E-collaboration. This is a program where you can be in contact with another person or group across the country. This is like the program Skype, where you can visually see the other person(s) you are talking with. However, this program also allows you to have a white board where you can have some kind of interaction between those on both sides of the camera. This can be useful for teachers because they can post a worksheet or some type of lesson ideas on this board, as well as talk to them through the camera. This program is extremely useful for students because they can talk with other students or their teacher through this program. They can contact another student in the class and both do the assignment together at the same time online. They can help each other through the interactive camera and white board.
A third emerging technology would be the Eee PC computer. This is a new computer that has just come out and is a very small. It is supposed to be easy to learn, work and play. These new small computers would be great for younger students because of many reasons. One, they are easier to carry around and fit almost in any small bag. Second, since the keyboard is smaller it would be very useful for younger students to learn how to type. This is because it would fit their little hands better than a regular size computer keyboard. This piece of technology could also be very useful for teachers because then it could let their students research stuff in their classroom at their desks. Instead of having to send three or four students to the library to find information, the teachers could keep the students with them in their classroom. The teacher could also have all the students go to certain web-pages to show the entire class something at once. This would also allow each student to have it on their own individual computer, so when they go home they wouldn’t have to find the web-page again.
http://smarttech.com/
http://www.marratech.com/
http://www.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=7317