.SCHAFFHAUSER, D. (2018). WHAT'S HOT: ED TECH TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2018. T H E Journal, 45(1), 14-18.
This article is about current trends in Ed Tech and the pros and cons it has in school districts. It discusses the importance of using Ed Tech as a tool and to make sure that teachers are also incorporating hands-on projects and learning with their students. The article also talks about the STEM programs and how you can incorporate technology doing them, but they also need to use their hands to build, construct and use higher level thinking skills. Our school is piloting a program this year called Project Lead The Way (PLTW) which incorporates technology (using a tablet with maps & information) and materials (rocks, pebbles, sand, model trees & houses, etc.) to create erosion.
The article also talked about how in December there was an all school coding day across the world. Our class did participate in the Hour of Code and my students loved having the opportunity to design a game or program on their own. In addition to virtual reality, schools can also use programs to communicate with one another from their classrooms. We participated in the Global Read Aloud last year and were paired up with a classroom in Vermont. All of these opportunities can lead to issues involving cybersecurity. There have been reports from districts that have been hacked into their systems to retrieve personal information of students and staff. So, they are working on developing a more secure system.
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