Emerging Technology in Education



Emerging Technology in EducationAmanda N. CiniglioCorinne BlakeEDU 214:1004September 25, 2016AbstractTechnology has come a long way in the last five years. Technology, especially in education, is put there to improve the students’ education and bring ease to a teacher’s lesson. Cloud computing changes education for the better. With cloud computing, there is no need to for expensive or heavy textbooks. Outdated learning material will be a thing of the past. With mobile learning, students are able to be taught not only by their teacher, but other teachers worldwide. Mobile learning has so many positives and it’s easy to use and to work. They have the availability to access anything from the comfort of their own home, on the school bus, or in another country. As long as there is a connection through a wireless network, the students can take their smartphone, IPad, tablet, or laptop anywhere and use it for education. There are now educational applications that can help an earlier reader, an advanced college student, or anyone in between. Wired networks, wireless network, or WIFI, is needed for all technology, that requires an internet connection. Without a connection, preferably wireless, mobile learning, cloud computing, or tablet computers would not be able to work. Without technology continuing to improve, education would be stuck in the stone age.Emerging Technology in EducationTechnology, in general, has come a long way in just the last five years. Technology, especially in education, is put there to improve the students’ education and bring ease to a teacher’s lesson. Cloud computing is an emerging technology that has just seem to pop up within the last year or so. Tablet computing, as well as mobile learning are also in the same category as cloud computing (Briggs 2016). Each one does something different in education and can not only improve education for students, but also improve how the teachers are conveying a lesson. None of those devices or programs listed would be able to work without some form of network that connects everything to the internet. Wireless network, or WIFI, is extremely popular and is free in a lot of public locations. Without technology, education would be stuck in the Stone Age. “In the simplest terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive (Griffith 2016).” The most familiar uses of cloud computing with be Apple’s ICloud, or Dropbox. With Dropbox, for example, the user can upload anything and everything they want into their Dropbox. From there, they can retrieve it from any other location, like another computer or a mobile device. If a login in shared between two people, either one can access the file through any device. According to Eric Griffith, when you store data on or run programs from the hard drive, that's called local storage and computing. Everything you need is physically close to you, which means accessing your data is fast and easy, for that one computer, or others on the local network. Cloud computing changes education for the better. With cloud computing, there is no need to for expensive or heavy textbooks. According to Sara Bhatia, cloud-based textbooks can solve this problem as digital content is significantly less expensive than printed content. Outdated learning material will be a thing of the past. “In the K-12 arena, the problem of expensive textbooks means that many of the materials students are using are outdated. The average social studies book in elementary and junior high schools is seven to eleven years old, which means that the world maps in these books are no longer correct. (Bhatia 2014)” With all the budget cuts happening in our school system, especially in the lower-class areas, students aren’t getting the correct information. A better alternative would be cloud-based materials because they are easy to update, so that students always have access to the most current learning resources (Bhatia 2014). Expensive hardware and software are a thing of the past. Cloud based apps can run on both computers or mobile devises. “Many software programs are now available either free or on a low-cost subscription basis, which substantially lowers the cost of essential applications for students. (Bhatia 2014)” For example, Google Documents is a free software that anyone has access too, as long as you have a google account. Another example that Bhatia used would be instead of purchasing a single Microsoft Office student license for $140, students and their families can purchase a cloud-based subscription for five computers and five mobile devices for only $10 per month. With cloud computing, it makes it easier for teachers to share resources, as well as grade or edit student’s papers, without wasting paper. According to the textbook, for education, cloud computing offers a way to make applications easiest and readily available from one source that requires only one point of maintenance and support. Mobile learning hasn’t been around for long either. With mobile learning, students are able to be taught not only by their teacher, but other teachers worldwide. Mobile learning has so many positives and it’s easy to use and to work. According to the textbook, most mobile devices use apps, which are small dedicated software applications. Applications can include image editing, work processing, social networking, data storage, and media creation (Lever-Duffy, McDonald 135). They have the availability to access anything from the comfort of their own home, on the school bus, or in another country. “Sharing digital presentations, teachers can easily add annotations with simple gestures to emphasize key points. Students can easily read electronic books or magazines, having an entire library at their fingertips. Connected to Wi-Fi, a mobile device can become an internet ready computer available at every desk (Lever-Duffy, McDonald 135-136).” As long as there is a connection through a wireless network, the students can take their smartphone, IPad, tablet, or laptop anywhere and use it for education. There are now educational applications that can help an earlier reader, an advanced college student, or anyone in between. These apps have been designed to help make your life easier, as a student or a teacher. There are apps out on the market now that can help students with special needs as well. “Learners tend to be more involved in their learning activities when they can access it from any device and any location. It allows greater continuity of learning when they can continue their activity when the class ends or when they go home. This higher level of engagement with the material leads to better results and higher retention of the material (CallidusCloud 2015).” Tablet computing and mobile learning go hand in hand. Tablet computing is very similar to laptops, and in a way, could replace laptops and desktop computers all together. Preloaded and downloadable apps are used on a tablet computer. The keyboard usually comes separate from the tablet itself. It has some sort of pen or stylist that can help you write on the tablet. It’s much lighter in weight and depending on the brand, it may be more expensive. They are great for teachers to have in the classroom, for when students can play study games or actually take an online test. Examples of a tablet computer would be Apple IPad or IPad Mini, as well as the Microsoft Surface and Surface Pro. They are touch screen, which is a positive aspect. Wired networks, wireless network, or WIFI, is needed for all technology, that requires an internet connection. Without a connection, preferably wireless, mobile learning, cloud computing, or tablet computers would not be able to work. “A wireless local-area network (LAN) uses radio waves to connect devices such as laptops to the Internet and to your business network and its applications (Cisco).” There are plenty of benefits for a wireless network, especially in education. Convenience is at the top of the list. Without wires, there is nothing to hold you down in one spot. It is easy to set up and cost effective. When setting up the wireless network, there is an option for having the network locked. When it is locked, it is more secure for the students, as well as anyone else on the network. “Wired networks are limited to physical access points in the classrooms and accross the school; Wi-Fi networks make access available from anywhere within their area (Lever-Duffy, McDonald 133).”Technology has improved for the better and will continue to only improve as the years go on. Teachers are now assigning homework online or will include the students in the lesson, through technology. With these advancements, students have access to more resources that can improve their learning experience. Technology was invented and has progressed to make an everyday life easier, not just students and teachers. Cloud computing can help save all of the work that has been and can be transferred or accessed on a completely different internet connect device. Mobile learning and tablet computing are similar in what tasks they preform, but have fundamental differences. However, the most important emerging technology would be the wireless network. Without it, those programs would not be able to work. Through the advancements in technology, learning from a student’s standpoint, and instructing through a teacher’s standpoint, has made it easier, more efficient, and a lot more entertaining. It will be exciting to see what the future holds for new emerging technology in education, in the future. ReferencesAdvantages of Mobile Learning. (2015). Retrieved September 15, 2016, from Bhatia, S. (2014). Retrieved September 15, 2016, from Briggs, S. (2016). 10 Emerging Educational Technologies and How They Are Being Used Across the Globe - InformED. Retrieved September 15, 2016, from , J., & McDonald, J. (n.d.). Cloud Computing (5th ed.). Pearson. Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (n.d.). Mobile devices (5th ed.). Pearson. Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (n.d.). Wireless Connectivity (5th ed.). Pearson. Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2016, from Griffith May 3, 2016 10 Comments, E. (2016, May 3). What Is Cloud Computing? Retrieved September 15, 2016, from Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2016, from Is a Wireless Network?: The Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2016, from ................
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