Digital Technologies in the Classroom

I would prefer to teach in a classroom that has more digital technologies. I feel that bringing digital technology into a classroom can improve teaching as well as learning for the students. For example, watching DVDs in the classroom can make lessons more enjoyable because students can feel like they are at home watching a movie rather than in a classroom being lectured. Another example is distance learning and teleconferences. Video teleconferences can be an extremely fun and interactive lesson for Spanish classes. This gives students the opportunity to learn from those who know the language best, the Spanish! It also opens up the opportunity for distance learning, which in my opinion would be an interesting process for both the teacher and the students.

Audiovisual Technologies

Traditional audio technology: audiocassettes
This device could be used in history classrooms to listen to interviews from the past regarding historical events or even to listen to newspaper articles or journals that have been recorded regarding the topic of discussion during that class.

Emerging audio technology: Internet radio
Internet radio could be used in a classroom to listen to a certain broadcast, possibly on an AM station, that would be discussing the topic that is in that particular class's lesson for the day.

Traditional visual technology: bulletin boards
Bulletin boards can be used in many different ways. They can be used to decorate a classroom with posters with educational information on them. They can be used to display students' work within the classroom. They could also be used to keep track of behavior in elementary classrooms, such as moving pins with students' names on them from the good side of the board to the bad side after a certain amount of warnings.

Emerging visual technology: iPad
The iPad could be used in classrooms to bring up maps in geography classes. Having the world maps in front of students, with the ability for hands on learning, can increase the intake of information being presented. Plus, it adds a fun spin to the normal geography lesson.

Pug Attack & House Sitting

Out of all the Super Bowl commercials that I watched this year, my favorite was the Doritos commercial with the Pug dog called Doritos-Pug Attack. The little dog running in the yard was so adorable and the guy teasing the dog looked so stupid, yet funny. I laughed so hard when the small dog bursted through the glass window, landing on top of the man, and stole his Doritos.

My other favorite was the Doritos commercial titled House Sitting. As the guy sprinkles crushed Doritos on the dead fish and dead plants they come to life. Suddenly, the house sitter knocks over the urn with the owner's grandpa's ashes in it. The next scene shows the owner walking in to his house where the house sitter and his now alive grandfather sit. The ending was so funny as the owner yells "granpa!" and latches on to him in an intense hug.

Overall, Doritos had the best advertisement this year.