Technology to Support Education

Introduction

    Implementing a comprehensive classroom technology plan is important for students to become introduced to at an early age. In today's world so many of our day to day life revolves around simple technology in our homes, we need become comfortable with it in our classrooms. Every day actions seem to center around technology, even if it is simple like a alarm clock set to wake us up at the right time. For each of us technology can enhance education, but make us reach further than before to learn. By using technology to communicate with each other in and out of class parents and teachers can team up to do what is best for their students in an instantaneous partnership.

Technology to Enhance Communication

(Google Calendar):  “Teachers can do so much more than sharing a google calendar with their students.(Brumbaugh & Calhoon (2014)” .Google calendar can be shared with anyone you invite to it, just by providing the link to the intended users. It can also be used to invite others to important occasions, in a student's life that may be student of the week or a Christmas play.

Parents: Keeping the parents updated to assignments and classroom on a regular basis, in advance of any events that parents need to be aware of . To also keep parents informed of homework responsibilities by students. Most importantly to invite parents to important events in their child's lives.

Students: Students will be able to use the google calendar to keep themselves updated on what their responsibilities are with their teacher.

Global Community: The ability to share with others among the global community (extended family or other teachers) who are interested in how our classroom comes together. But to also extend the invitation to their loved one's events.

(ePals): For students this is an invaluable tool to learn from and about other nationalities and countries. To see that there is more to the world that exists beyond our boarders and beaches. Students will learn cultural differences as well the possibility of global community group projects.

Parents: Parents will have the opportunity to see their students learn beyond the normal in classroom scope and surrounding community. Their student will learn cultural differences, make new friends and learn in group community projects.

Students: Students will learn to work with others of different nationalities and cultural differences. By creating mutually beneficial experience for each class.

Global Community: The global community would benefit from the experience by the mutual exchange of information of cultural differences in a beneficial experience for all students.

(Google Docs): With this tool students will be able to expand their knowledge base at their own pace. With project based learning together, students can keep in contact with each other via the web and change documents together -instantaneously.((learn google aps.) Students will also be able to learn from each other as well as make creative suggestions to projects.

Parents: Parents have a stake in their children's education and can help their students with these projects from home on their home computer to see what their children are learning.

Students: Students will learn basic computer skills in word processing, presentations and more. These are basic skills that most students will need moving into the common core.

Global Community: The documents created can be shared with anyone in the global community. If perhaps students did a science project on earth science and the grand canyon, they could share with other students in other countries via google docs.

(Google Hangouts): Students can talk to their own classmates from home or in class by communicating via online about the projects they are working on. This is also a good way to learn typing skills and how to communicate effectively via text or video. Students can even reach those in other countries and work productively together on group projects.  

Parents: Parents can communicate with their children through hangouts as well, as well as monitor their children to see what they are working on but also the skills they are picking up – like typing and video interactions.

Students: Will learn how to communicate with others via typed out messages or video. They will have to learn how to effectively communicate to other students, especially if students are from another country.

Global Community: The global community will be able to use the hangout on their own electric devices to talk to other students about collaborative projects, using typing skills or through video chat.


Concluding Paragraph

     
     There are many different products that are similar enough that students can use to chat, most of the ones mentioned here are all from Google, a well known name through the world wide web. Pushing forth, through the march of time, technology is here to stay. It is more effective to learn how to work with it and use it effectively, then to pretend it does not exist. Students will be better prepared having the knowledge to use as they progress in their educational careers as they get older they will become more comfortable and find preferred communication tools.