Blog 1: Thoughts on Technology in the classroom.

     For this blog I chose to talk to my son, Hayden, who is in fifth grade at Delk-Henson Intermediate School in Chapel Hill. When I asked him why he wanted to use technology for learning he told me that he thinks it is more fun to do work on a computer.  He said that it is a nice change from writing all day.  In his classroom they all have laptops that they use almost daily for math work.  I asked him if he plays math games and he said no that they don't play math games.  They use a program call ALEKS.  He showed me the program and seems really excited and interested in it.  I found this neat since the program is not game.  It's cool how doing work on a computer can keep students more engaged and interested in the material.
     After talking with my son and seeing what he is doing with technology in his classroom I am interested to see what other types of of technology are out there to use.  I was very surprised and happy to hear that each student has a laptop available for them to use at his school.  I will be very open to using technology in my classroom.  Another thing I've seen used in my classrooms at college is the use of programs that allow the teacher to ask a question, usually multiple choice,  and the students respond to the question via texting on their cellphone.  I found this really cool because everyone can participate, even your shy kids, without fear of having the wrong answer.  This would be a great way to see how well students were grasping the material the teacher is teaching.  I am interested to see if there are any ways to do this without using phones, due to the limitations of cell phones in the classroom and such.  It could be accomplished with iPads and if there were not enough for all kids to have an iPad then you could break the students into groups.
     One area of technology that could be neat to incorporate into the classroom would be the use of augmented reality.  I have seen this demonstrated at a few conference I have had the privilege to attend.  I think that augmented reality would be cool to use because it is engaging to students.  It can also be used in all areas of study and could be easily differentiated.  With iPads becoming more prevalent in the classroom I think that it only a matter of time before this technology is used in most classrooms throughout the United States.
    Technology in the classroom is a great way to help students learn and to keep them engaged.  I believe anything that helps engage students is worth using.  I plan to continue learning about the use of technology in the classroom.