Working with a particularly high number of special needs students, I found this title interesting. However, after reading it, I wish I had chosen a different article. The author just talked about how it's important for teachers to consider methods of instruction that incorporate technology. It talked about students creating videos, for example, so that teachers can re-watch their students' performance. Another idea he had was to create things that allow students to reach the class better when they're away from the classroom (wikis, blogs, video conferencing)... well, now that I summarize it, it sounds a little more useful than I'd originally thought! One other useful part of the article was the "5 E Model" for lesson planning (it's just one of those things that makes the deep-thinking part of teaching a little more "user-friendly"): Engage the learner, Explore the concept, Explain the concept, Elaborate on the concept, Evaluate students' understanding.
I think a lot of teachers dream of doing activities like the ones mentioned in the article but are stopped by one thing or another. One reason may be lack of time, another a lack of resources or know-how, etc. I think it's great when students bring in new ideas or finds in technology that can be used within the classroom. For example, I have a student who, rather than using a traditional dictionary, he uses an app on his ipod to look up definitions to words he doesn't know. He does it during class, too, which is cool, especially because if I don't know a word, we don't have to spend time using a dictionary - he just types it in and all the possible definitions come up! I also currently have one class writing a blog every-other week to get them introduced. Only 1 out of 11 students had ever even READ a blog before!!
The two pages after the article have a list of new devices that would help to enhance a technologically-savvy classroom. There is a description for each one as well as a link to the main website. Sculpteo.com sounds pretty cool but I'm not sure how I would use it for educational purposes...
Use the time you are going to spend doing 675 work to think of ways to use technology with your kids (it's a twofer). OR Show your kids tools you see in 675 and ask them what educational value they can think of (start with Voki).
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