Classroom Tech

Educators should go as far as they can to match the technology used in instruction as long as it is effective. The first sign of it not being effective then it should be taught differently. i believe that there is no way possible you could have instant messaging in a classroom...it is abused very easily. It is a complete distraction to what they are trying to learn. Some learners may be more interested in something new and fun like text-based communication but I don't believe it is effective. Face-to-face learning is by far the safest way to ensure learning. I also believe that podcasts are not very effective either. Sometimes as teachers we try to do too much and should focus on the things that are gauranteed. Now, video games I can believe can work in studying. When I was in the fourth grade our teacher brought in a Playstation...it was new to me but I was excited to use it. We did an educational video game but to all the kids in the class it wasn't looked at as being educational. We saw all the designs and graphics and thought they were cool so we were more likely to pay attention. One of the skills you can gain from video games is attention to deatil, once you play video games you tend to be able to see the little things that most people wouldn't recognize. I would let my child play a video game everyday but it would be limited to a certain amount of time. To me video games aren't bad for you...unless you sit too close to the TV or you play for 8 hours a day so I have no problem with the video games.