Education has
met its match. While trends in education change rapidly, technology evolves
even faster. Just when schools seem to catch on to the latest technology
movements, something new has already been launched and coveted by teachers
everywhere. The New Media Consortium’s
Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 Edition is a way for school districts to “look
ahead” to see what technology is emerging, and start thinking about how these
tools can be used in teaching, learning, and creating inquiry within their schools.
“Technology skills are critical to success in almost every arena, and those who
are most facile with technology will advance while those without access or
skills will not,” (NMC Horizon Report:
2012 K-12 Edition, 2012, p. 8). As we think about putting our students’
learning at the forefront, teaching them how to communicate, collaborate, and
share with others is important for them to be successful citizens in the 21st
Century.
According to New
Media Consortium (2012) report, “sense-making and the ability to assess the
credibility of information are paramount,” (p. 7). These responsibilities can
be directly tied to the librarian and his/her role within the school library.
Librarians, in collaboration with classroom teachers, must engage students in real-life
inquiry based learning experiences where students need to locate, evaluate,
analyze, and synthesize information from multiple sources. Without these
skills, students will struggle in an information-rich society. The New Media Consortium
suggests that when students make meaningful connections between what they are
learning in the classroom and the world around them, engagement increases, as
well as preparedness for living in that world, (p. 10).
Augmented reality
intrigued me, not just as a future teacher-librarian, but as a classroom
teacher as well. According to Patricia Brown (2015), “Augmented reality is a
way to bring a new dimension to learning. By unlocking the every day world, one
can dig deeper and engage learners in a new and interesting way,” (para. 3). Students
are now creating layers upon layers of information to the content they are
learning, and making the information interactive and purposeful for others to
view.
The potential
for using augmented reality in the library is great. Students can create
digital trailers of their favorite books, and share it with the rest of the
school by a simple scan of the jacket or QR code. For students sharing
knowledge upon completion of research, presentations can be interactive and
museum-like where others are walking around with devices scanning images or
codes that link to videos, digital print materials, virtual field trips, etc.
Augmented reality can really transform the library and classroom into a
one-of-a-kind experience where students feel connected to the content they are
learning. Students are highly engaged, and take charge of their own learning.
With any
technology, there are disadvantages. Augmented reality apps can be costly, so
districts will want to make sure they have funds to maintain the technology.
Another disadvantage if used to replace traditional learning styles is that
students can become too dependent upon the digital information, and do not
develop skills such as speaking, listening, and interacting with others. I also
see that time could be a problem. Teachers and librarians will need to
collaborate to make sure students have enough time to create their projects
using augmented reality.
After reading
this report and learning about augmented reality, I am looking forward to
incorporating this technology into my own classroom. I can see the benefits
outweigh the disadvantages, and believe my students will be more excited about
learning.
Here is the link to my e-portfolio:
https://sites.google.com/site/ervelectronicportfolio/
Here is the link to my e-portfolio:
https://sites.google.com/site/ervelectronicportfolio/
References:
Brown, P. (2015,
November 2). How to transform your
classroom with augmented reality. EdSurge. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-11-02-how-to-transform-your-classroom-with-augmented-reality
Johnson, L.,
Adams, S., and Cummins, M. (2012). NMC
Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 Edition. Austin: TX: The New Media Consortium.
Hi, Elida.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the Horizon Report, I got caught up in the types of technology students can use. I guess I focused more on the advantages and disadvantages of using technology to teach in the classroom, but when you wrote "teaching them how to communicate, collaborate, and share with others is important for them to be successful citizens in the 21st Century" it made me realize that I failed to recognize the need to teach our students how to communicate with others--verbally and in writing. When thinking about communication, many of my students have a very hard time communicating face to face. Rather than use the technology as a way for the students to talk, I would try to incorporate technology with actual speaking activities to keep the students engaged (with the technology) but also work on their social skills of talking (face to face). This would allow students to work on both skills. Also many of my students struggle to communicate in writing--this would be an advantage of using technology. Technologies such as Storybird would be a great tool to use to help students who struggle to communicate through words--they could use the pictures to help!
Creating QR codes is really easy, and when you wrote "Students can create digital trailers of their favorite books, and share it with the rest of the school by a simple scan of the jacket or QR code" it made me think about doing a project where my students can create trailers and then use the QR codes for students to watch the videos. What a cool way to engage the students in reading; I think I will use this activity for my Literature Circles. I could even just make a QR code that takes them to a trailer for them to watch to decide what book to read.
Thanks for your insights!
Hi Elida!
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head when you mentioned that just about the time a school becomes comfortable with a piece of technology something new has already been created, and therefore, it never quit feels like we are on top of the advancements. This must be the case due to lack of funding or time it takes to learn the technology. Regardless, the Horizon Report is an excellent way that teachers can actually look forward rather than just trying to stay afloat. There is a lot of pressure on teachers to be able to learn and teach these technologies to our students, and educators really take that seriously as we all strive to teach our students the necessary 21st century skills. Collaboration has never looked quit like this before in the classroom nor has there been as many opportunities to do so.
I was also drawn to the augmented reality piece of the report. Librarians could create digital trailers to spark interest the same way movies do with a hyped up release date and event. I also think that older students could handle creating their own trailers as more of a book review. We do need to create a space in the library that is more museum-like and interactive for our students. If teachers are adapting to the changes in technology then librarians should too. Librarians will need to contribute to the academic success of the students and prove their worth to administration. Being on the cutting edge of technology would help teachers grow professionally as well as provide opportunities to mingle within the curriculum regardless of the subject. I think the day to day job of a classroom teacher does not always allow for the exploration of new technology, but a librarian can bring that information to share to colleagues and administration.
Hi Elida!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that we are working in a time that it is hard to keep up! We have so much available to us and it can be a challenge to determine what will be best for our students, affordable, and safe. We also have to consider the time spent in learning the new technology just for it to be quickly replaced by the new best thing. This is an exciting and also frustrating aspect of technology.
I am also intrigued by the use of augmented reality but have not yet seen or used it. I hope to find a way to be able to experiment with it with my students in the future.
Hi Elida!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that we are working in a time that it is hard to keep up! We have so much available to us and it can be a challenge to determine what will be best for our students, affordable, and safe. We also have to consider the time spent in learning the new technology just for it to be quickly replaced by the new best thing. This is an exciting and also frustrating aspect of technology.
I am also intrigued by the use of augmented reality but have not yet seen or used it. I hope to find a way to be able to experiment with it with my students in the future.
Hey Elida!
ReplyDeleteAugmented reality really intrigued me with this report as well. I also am very interested in the fact that students can create “layers upon layers of information to the content they are learning, and making the information interactive and purposeful for others to view.” As teachers, we are always asking our students to think beyond the surface level and provide new ingenious answers to the questions that they are being asked. Augmented reality provides them with another opportunity to provide thoughtful answers and then share those answers with others.
I also agree with you that “augmented reality can really transform the library and classroom into a one-of-a-kind experience where students feel connected to the content they are learning.” With augmented reality being newer to the education field, students would be engaged and willing to participate in their own learning. They can connect with the material in ways that they have not before and gain more from their educational experience. As you said, the benefits definitely outweigh the disadvantages.