Audiovisual Technologies

The more interactive teachers are with their lesson plans, the more the students get engaged.  Both audio and visual technologies help accomplish this task whether they are traditional or emerging.  Many traditional technologies are still used today even with all the emerging technology that we see more and more of in the classroom.  The talking book, one of the more popular examples of traditional audio technologies, add an auditory dimension to all sorts of texts.  Talking books can be used in all grade levels and students enjoy the audio version due to the fact that they can read along with it or simply listen.  I would use the talking books in my classroom to emphasis key points in texts such as the dialogue between characters, the mood, and tone.  An example of an emerging audio technology is a broadcast service called Internet radio which uses the Internet to offer online radio stations consisting of live broadcasts from around the world into the classroom.  I would use this particular example in my classroom to enhance curricula with graphics to tie main points up and expand students' horizons.  An example of traditional visual technology is print materials which include books and worksheets, posters or charts.  Even though this is a traditional example they are still used by teachers today.  I would use this to reinforce what was taught in class by giving each student a worksheet to complete as a homework assignment or group project.  A digital project, which is an example of an emerging visual technology, project digital images onto a white board or large monitor so that they can be shared with the whole classroom.  I would find this very helpful in the classroom when putting up notes so that all my students would not have a problem copying them down.  Also digital projectors make the visual aides more interesting and enjoyable.  All traditional and emerging technologies that are used today are important when teaching in the classroom because they all offer their own specific benefits for students and teachers.

digital technologies in the classroom

Personally, I would rather teach in a classroom with more digital technologies than less.  I think it is important to incorporate different types of educational technologies in the classroom to get students engaged and interested.  Whether it is using something as simple as a microphone to add sound, or something a little more advanced such as the electronic whiteboards which save on a computer file after writing on them, teachers are finding them to benefit the students' learning in all grade levels. Of course technology can fail sometimes but I feel as if this chapter illustrated the fact that the pros outweigh the cons and having them at a teachers disposable is a must have in today's generation.