technology for teachers.

Wow. So when we talk about integrating technology into a classroom it normally relates to the students as the recipients but what we forget to realize is the benefits that it can pose to us, the teachers. I just witnessed this first hand via a Microsoft Professional Development 2011 Innovative Schools Program. This is a virtual university, hosted by Bruce Dixon on behalf of Microsoft, in which people from around the world can sit in on a seminar, discuss and ask questions in real time. In this instance the virtual university, which runs on a monthly basis, was presented by Randy Fielding who discussed, Designing Schools for the Creative Age, to over 30 school leaders from around the world. Although they are on the other side of the world, I'm sitting at the University of Western Australia, watching these slides, listening to the presentation, being able to ask questions and interact with school leaders from around the globe. This interactive format enables school leaders to share innovative ways of teaching and learning with one another and form discussions that promote further and deeper thinking into the place of ICT in the classroom; that in turn not only benefits themselves but most importantly, their students. As the seminar progresses, attendees are able to ask questions amongst themselves, ask questions directly to the host or presenter and get involved rather than purely being dictated too. Randy can then address these questions throughout the presentation, is able to draw on his slides to highlight important aspects and can also read the discussions that the audience is having throughout the presentation - an interactive lecture to the highest degree.

"The goal of the Innovative Schools Program is to discover, share and scale best practices, develop models and assets that any school or any school system can use to help students achieve their full potential, and create a collaborative community of like- minded school leaders" (Microsoft Partners in Learning)

I think what we forget is that technology can create for a better classroom for all. It means more effective ways of engaging and motivating students but also a much more efficient way of teaching. There are conferences, meetings and organizations thats whole purpose is just that, promoting technology in the classroom to enable a more innovative learning area. These organizations are providing us with alternative ways of teaching and thinking that can really impact the way we run our classrooms. For example the below clip on Gaming and Edutainment is from the Harvard's Advanced Leadership Education Think Tank Conference which looked at "the utilization of technology to support positive change in the quality and relevance of education systems" (Harvard, 2011). Towards the end of the clip, Bruce refers to a program currently being created at Ideas Lab (see useful links) called "Pulse" that enables "semantic analysis of community conversations" (Dixon, 2011). This program is the perfect example of how technology is being produced to assist the learning progress as it offers a much more efficient way of correlating information that students place online.

Gaming & Edutainment

I know I keep mentioning the engaging and motivating qualities that technology can have in a classroom, but in all honesty it's the truth. I think with the products and ideas that are being invented every day in relation to technology, it really makes for a much more positive innovative learning area where we can give students the best possibilities to reach their highest potential.