The coolest tool that I saw at the SDRC was the smart pen. Not only did you take notes in the traditional sense by writing notes on paper, but this resource also allowed you to record the lecture. Should you miss something, you simply need to press on a word and the pen will play back the recording from that particular time in the lecture.
In schools, I can see every student using this tool to help them take better notes and to study for exams.
Bloom's taxonomy refers to six levels that are used to classify learning objectives. Powerpoint is a great tool that can be used to hit all six levels.
1. Create - Obviously, students are creating a way to present information simply by creating a Powerpoint.
2. Evaluate - By watching other students present Powerpoints, the rest of the class is silently evaluating and critiquing their peer's work. While they may not be writing down things that their class mates did well or could improve upon, they are still thinking critically about their work.
3. Analyze - Similar to evaluating their peer's work, if students are watching various presentations, they are undoubtedly making connections from one topic to another. Even if the presentations are totally unrelated, the students are bound to make certain connections from one presentation to another.
4. Apply - With all of the information gathered from watching and creating Powerpoint presentations, students are preparing themselves to use this information for tests or future assignments.
5. Understand - Powerpoints create an opportunity for discussion. They allow students to ask questions at the same time that they are able to reiterate and reorganize information.
6. Remember - Powerpoints are a great learning tool because they provide both a visual and auditory source of information. This gives students two different sources for recalling and remembering information.
A link to a page to stay on top of technological trends is this one from Study.com. It is a short video that describes teaching trends and how they apply to technology in the classroom. It discusses flipped classrooms which I think is a really great idea. I had a teacher in high school that assigned Edmodo lectures that we had to listen to outside of class. Then in the classroom, we would go more in depth and discuss the material.
By staying on top of trends, teachers are not only going to keep up with the times, but they are going to be able to be more effective in catering to students' growing dependence on new technology.
I thought the smart pen was one of the cooler tools to at the SDRC lab also! It is probably super helpful for students with physical or learning disabilities to have their pen record the lecture for them!
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