Technology in the Classroom...

     Technology is everywhere! We live in a very unique moment in history: The information age! Access to information and resources is at the touch of our fingers. Sitting down and looking up anything you want is an incredible benefit to our lives; these are some traditional and innovative technology tools that I plan to use in the classroom, not just for research but for creating a suitable environment to elevate students in the classroom.

    First, you must have an excellent external hard drive. This allows teachers to save things in a safe place. Lesson plans can be portable; no matter where you might be, you can share them with your students no matter where you might be. Having an external hard drive is vital to staying organized.

    You need a portable scanner. What if you have an outstanding worksheet and want to share it digitally in the classroom? Being able to scan documents portably is an excellent way to do that. Also great to organize every student's classroom work. 

    An iPhone/iPad projector would be an excellent tool to have! Being able to quickly project videos or photos of information from your phone or iPad for the entire class to see saves time and effort and ensures we stay engaged on current topics.

Wireless doorbells, a.k.a. attention grabbers, are a new and innovative way of controlling a noisy classroom. Instead of having to yell and lose your voice, having an audio signal to gain the attention of a loud class can be very helpful. Also, it's great to set different signals for different activities. 

Smart tables are great too! Having an area where students can work together to simultaneously use technology and different sources is something straight out of a sci-fi movie. It would also be great games for rewarding students.

    

    Another device I would like to have in my classroom and something that might not be on this is an echo dot. As a history teacher, I want to teach children about some of the great classical composers of the past, and to be able to provide relaxing music in the classroom is something children would enjoy. Also, providing binaural beats and white noise has been shown to help people retain information better. 

All these devices in a classroom can ensure that students have the best possible learning experience through technology and bring about a future where learning and collaboration can be done efficiently.