Emerging Technologies

Keeping up with emerging technologies is an easy statement to make; however, it is not as easy as it appears. As often with new technology one must have to sift through the ever changing list of items that can be used to enhance learning. The question to address is where to start and how will this technology alter my approach to teaching? Then once that is answered, the technology must be assessed to see if the technology is sustainable and what change agents are in place when it is applied.
Now that I have reviewed a number of different technologies, it is apparent that using them as they emerge is a futile effort, some my just not be appropriate for classroom. One can also get mired in the analyzing of different types of software, devices, or systems than can be costly and inefficient in the classroom or district. Therefore this course has taught us that we must identify the principle means of the technology, evaluate its immediate use verses its sustainability, asses its affordability, and then also become an agent of change by developing a way to share such technology with our peers and administration. It seems to be a tightrope walk in our current system due to the economic conditions and the gap in the technical capabilities of our peers. I will continue to search out new technologies using the format implemented in this course and also continue to try to expose my peers to what particular technology that I find effective. Many may seem closed minded about technology, but will welcome the change once they see the ease of use and effectiveness on content material as it is passed to their students. A change agent is really an individual who can bridge the gap between theory and application, I plan to look for those gaps and try to construct the proper connections.