The first thing I found interesting from chapter six was cloud computing. Cloud computing is defined as using the Internet, rather than a personal computer or local network, to store and retrieve files. It is better known as the "cloud." This is a tool that can be accessed anywhere and at any time, from any internet capable device. Two effective examples of this are LiveBinders and URList. One that I found on my own is called Drop Box. Websites like these allow teachers and students to access any of these websites at any given time. You can save anything to any of these websites, close it on one computer, then go to another computer and type in whichever website you choose, then retrieve all of your saved files. This is especially helpful for college students like myself who do not always take my laptop with me everywhere. If there is something I saved at home but need to access at school, it is no problem because I can log into any of these websites and get any file that I need! These are not the only websites that do this though, these are just a few that I found to be the easiest to navigate.
The next thing I found interesting from chapter six was the e-newsletters. Though I already knew about this, the reading in the book gave me more insight to how helpful things like this can really be. When I think of e-newsletters the first thing that comes to mind is 'annoying'! Sometimes, they can be overbearing and companies can send you multiple newsletters per day, which makes you want to unsubscribe from them. What I learned though, is that they can be very helpful when it comes to your education. If you subscribe to an educational e-newsletter, it saves you time from having to look up the website you were trying to find that you really liked, or any website you found interesting really. Another good thing about newsletters is that you can choose how often you get them and for how long. I made my own e-newsletter with Canva, shown below.
Finally, the last thing I found interesting was from chapter twelve. It is a program called BYOD or BYOT; bring your own device or bring your own technology. This is a program that allows students to bring any technology to school for learning uses. In some schools, they have a laptop for every student to check out. In schools that can not afford a laptop for every student, these types of programs can be extremely helpful because they allow students to bring their own Internet- accessible tools to help them learn. Programs like this also help overcome digital inequalities. The video below shows the Lewisville School District who has one of these programs.
Both of these chapters helped further my knowledge on more integrative technologies such as educational newsletters and new things like BYOT and BYOD programs in schools across the country. All of these new and some updated technologies will be beneficial to every student that has access to them to help further their learning.
Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., &
Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd
Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Pinder, S (2016, April 18). E-Newsletter. Created with Canva https://www.canva.com
L. (2012). Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm0ewV3RPfw
