Learn Technologies

You may have grown up using dusty chalk boards or traditional dry erase boards, but those days are fading fast.  The new sensation in tech-friendly schools around the United States is the Smart Board.  At first glance, this device has the appearance of a regular white board, but it is hardly the same.  Touch screen technology allows students to interact with the material with the touch of a finger. A projector is connected to a computer and the output is displayed on the Smart Board.  Another major difference between a Smart Board and a white board is the writing utensil that is used. Unlike the squeaky dry erase markers used in the latter, Smart Boards come with digital pens, which can be used to write or draw images on the screen using digital ink that can be erased with the touch of an eraser.  One of the disadvantages of this system has been that the board could only recognize the markings of one pen at a time.  However, new improvements are changing this and facilitating dual-pen use. Read the rest of this entry »

While accountability is not a word that quickly comes to mind concerning teenagers and the internet, in the realm of education it has certainly helped to provide just that.  Looking beyond the well-documented downside of internet in the classroom (i.e. too much time social networking, Wikipedia-supported research papers and limitless distractions), when used correctly, the internet can enhance productivity, provide unbending deadlines and deliver instant feedback regarding a student’s educational efficiency and accuracy.  One such example of this is the teacher friendly website WebAssign, providing a source of online homework, assessments and grading. Read the rest of this entry »

Perhaps one of the most intriguing benefits of educational technology is the ability to bring information and experiences from the outside world back into the classroom with new levels of ease and accessibility.   Never has this been more apparent with the Digital STARLAB, a portable on-site planetarium available for purchase by schools and science centers across the country.  Instead of having to put together yearly field trips for various grades to travel across town or long distances to visit the planetarium, students need only walk down the hall to wherever the Digital STARLAB is housed.    Read the rest of this entry »

With YouTube spring boarding into everyday mainstream consciousness, its educational equivalent, SchoolTube, is gaining popularity across the country.  SchoolTube, although no business affiliation with its video sharing inspiration and namesake, offers essentially the same platform as YouTube, save for the original’s inherently public nature.  While YouTube is for anybody and everybody, allowing almost all videos that don’t infringe upon people’s personal rights or copyright laws, SchoolTube is designed specifically for students, parents, teachers and administrators.  First launched in 2006, the website is now the leader in moderated video sharing, proudly sticking to its three pronged appeal of being “safe, fun and free.” Read the rest of this entry »

New technological advancement and resources have led to a more interactive approach to education both at home and in the classroom.  While traditional flash cards and games will certainly always have their place, particularly for some out of home entertainment and stimulation on car trips and vacations, young minds are now privy to more tech savvy learning applications, with the ability to cater to each student’s needs individually.  Technology has allowed for learning experiences that can be passed off as mere diversion, complete with graphics and animations that will have kids thinking they are merely enjoying a few online games, subtly incorporating education into playtime.  Once kids have let their learning-guard down, their young minds can soak up valuable math and reading skills without feeling bogged down or struggling to pay attention. Read the rest of this entry »

Already used by over 3700 educational institutions across 60 countries, Blackboard software provides a one-stop operating center for educational efforts, combining resources that may be housed in a wide variety of facilities.  Blackboard is a perfect resource for college administrators as students enrolled in the same class can instantly communicate with professors or fellow students from any computer whether on or off campus.  Logging in to the system will grant a student access to a page for each class they are enrolled in for which a blackboard account has been set up.  Read the rest of this entry »