Technology in the Classroom Kayla Stewart Indiana University Southeast

Technology in the Classroom Technology is a great resource in the classroom. It can be used in many ways to ensure that learning is taking place in the classroom. Technology can open the door to many new learning styles and opportunities. In the following, I will describe Augmented Reality, flipping the classroom, and the Social, Ethical, and Legal issues with technology in the classroom. Augmented Reality In this section, I will be describe what Augmented Reality is and its uses in the classroom. What is Augmented Reality? Augmented Reality unlocks layers of digital information on top of the physical world. It is a collection of apps, web tools, and games that enhance learning through interactive experiences. Augmented Reality allows learning to occur through creating and interaction (Augmented Reality, 2014). Classroom Uses Many teachers describe Augmented Reality as mind-blowing and a great resource for their classroom. You can use technology, such as Augmented Reality, in your classroom instead of textbooks (Augmented Reality, 2014). A great app to use in classrooms would be Aurasma. This app has many interesting uses. It is a great way for students and parents to get to know their teacher. They can scan a code and information appears along with pictures of the teacher. Students can write book reviews and share them with others. This app can also help with parent involvement. Teachers can upload activities for students and their parents to do at home. The

most interesting part of this app, in my opinion, is that students can scan a page of their homework that they need help on and the teacher will appear in a video. During this video the teacher can explain to the student how to complete the assignment ( Dunn, 2014).

Flipping the Classroom In this section I will describe what flipping the classroom is, and the pros and cons of flipping the classroom. What is Flipping the Classroom? Flipping the classroom is basically what it sounds like. Instead of having instruction and learning at school and then completing assignments at home you do the opposite. Students have online instruction outside of class time. Then they complete homework and activities in the classroom (Flipped, 2014). The idea is that students can become engaged with the topic in the classroom while working at their own pace outside of the classroom. The role of the teacher also changes when you flip the classroom. The new role is a guide on the side (Acedo, 2014) Pros There are many pros for flipping the classroom. The main pro is that the one size fits all learning style is eliminated. Students can work at their own pace to learn the concepts. They can also communicate and ask questions to their teacher and other classmates. Many students are shy and do not ask questions during a classroom setting but would online. In one school the rate of freshmen failing their English class was above fifty percent and afterwards it lowered to

nineteen percent. Parents can also access their students material and see the information they need to learn (Acedo, 2014). Cons There are also cons for flipping the classroom. Teachers have to have a lot of trust in their students. They have to trust they will complete the lessons online. Student who dont complete the lessons and the material may fall behind. Another con is the lack of computer access. Some students may not have access to a computer to complete their lessons. In a flipping the classroom scenario the simply cannot survive. They may be able to stay after class and use a computer, or go to the library, but this can cause extra stress on the student. Another con is the teacher workload. Teachers must produce all of the material for students to access along with coming up with activities and classwork to help students understand the topic. This will greatly increase the workload and not all teachers are up to it ( Acedo, 2014). Educational Computing In this section I will describe the social, ethical, and legal issues with Educational computing. I will also describe was to cure these problems. Social Socio-Economic Many minorities face issues with computing. They have little to no role models to receive help and learn from. They also have a lack of interest in technology. A major issue is that minority groups tend to have little to no access to a computer outside of school. Teachers can encourage these students and offer them assistance. They can also strive to be the role model for the minorities. Teachers can incorporate technology into the classroom, and they can look for resources for outside use (Legal, 2014).

Race Technology is higher among whites, than black and Hispanics. To help even out the numbers, teachers can try to provide equal opportunity for all students in the classroom. They can allow students who may not have technology in their home more time on the computers or other technology in the classroom. Teachers can also work for more technology in their schools. They can look into receiving donations or grants (Legal, 2014). Resource Equity Technology resources can be lacking. Many students do not have access to technology outside of the classroom. In order to help fix this problem teachers can offer more access outside of normal school hours. They could also try to provide access by receiving grants or donations to purchase more technology (Legal, 2014). Ethical Cyberbullying Cyberbullying can occur during class or outside of class time. Using social networking students can share gossip, bully others, and be in danger. Teachers can promote cyber-ethics in the classroom to try to lessen the amount that takes place. Teachers can also assign bullying related reading and class discussion on cyberbullying. This can create more awareness on the topic (Legal, 2014). Student Data Many parents are uncomfortable with allowing their student to use the internet because of the amount of information that can be accessed. They also worry about the amount of information that can be accessed from teacher discussion and programs. Teachers can be very careful with student data and records. They can also use caution when sending emails about students and their data. Students can be educated on data and privacy of themselves and fellow students (Legal, 2014).

Internet Privacy Privacy is also an issue with using technology. Many criminals have sneaky and creative techniques to reach student information. It is hard to keep privacy completely. Teachers can educate their students to recognize strange situations, avoid them, and, if they have to, handle them. Teachers can also monitor the computers as the students are using them to create safer learning environments (Legal, 2014). Legal Copyright Copyright is the legal right of authors to prohibit others from copying their work. In order to teach students copy rights, teachers need to be the example. They can teacher their students how to paraphrase so they are not copying another authors work. They can also show their students how to correctly cite the authors work (Legal, 2014). Creative Commons Creative Commons is the stage between where the author has all rights and no rights. This is includes things like podcasts, photos, and blogs. Teachers can, again, be the example and use citations. They can also ensure that students understand paraphrasing and citations (Legal, 2014). Final Thoughts Technology is a great tool for teachers to use. Augmented Reality can allow for a whole new level of learning to take place. Flipping the classroom has many pros and cons. It could change the way that we educate students in the future. Although there are many Social, Ethical, and Legal issues when using technology in the classroom, teachers can teach their students ways to avoid these. Technology is wonderful and I cant wait to see how much it continues to advance in the future.

Resources Acedo, Mike. "Flipped Classroom." Flipped Classroom Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014 "Augmented Reality Brings New Dimensions to Learning." Edutopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. Dunn, Jeff. "How To Use Augmented Reality In Education." Edudemic. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. "Flipped Classroom." Flipped Classroom Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. "Legal, Ethical, and Social Issues in Educational Computing." Legal, Ethical, and Social Issues in Educational Computing. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.