Tech+Integration

media type="custom" key="6811587" align="center"

The focus of the video “A Commitment to High Tech Education” is Harrison Central High school which uses technology in a variety of subjects. In this way, the school is able to cross different subjects that wouldn’t normally be related, including extra-curricular activities. Students involved in sports can use technology to analyze their form, while students in math and science classes can use this data in their own studies. Nearby schools also participate in the technological exchange by sending students to teach what they’ve learned in their own schools. The video is inspiring because it shows that students, who are accustomed to using technology on a daily basis, are much more willing to learn their core subjects when those are taught in a way that they understand. It brought to mind that in order to keep up with the times and to have students’ attention, it is vital to bring technology into the classroom. An example given in the video is that with technology, the students can take a virtual field trip to anywhere in the world. As a teacher of modern languages, this idea intrigues me. If the classroom was viewed as a virtual immersion class, the students could use technology to take a virtual long-term field trip to the target language country. The lessons could follow along as they would if the students were really in the country beginning with greeting people at the “airport” through telling stories in different tenses in a “meeting”. In this way, students will pay more attention, show more interest and absorb the new language with more ease.