PROJECT PLAN
INQUIRY MODULE
PATRICIA VALENZUELA
DESCRIPTION
My subject area of interest is Elementary Education and I am interested in
learning about all types of technologies that I can use in my own classroom.
I am excited to see all of their different functions and how they can benefit
learning. I believe it will be beneficial, especially these days.
SUBJECT AREA OF INTEREST
I chose Elementary Education. I chose this subject area because I saw the
need for teachers who care and who are open to change. I hope to bring
diversity, and a new/better generation of teachers.
IGNITED LABS TECHNOLOGY AREA (AI)
As I visited the IgnitED Labs I was shown the different types of
AI available there. They had two kinds of AI which were the “Voice
Kit” and the “Vision Kit”. I chose to further explore the Voice Kit
because it reminded me of a “Google Home” or an “Alexa”.
1. I think that this technology can benefit teachers greatly. It can
change the way people learn by utilizing it for all lessons,
subjects, and personal classroom use. Since it is comparable to
an Alexa, I believe it can be used simply to ask questions. For
example, if you are wanting a random number to use for a
game, you can ask the Voice Kit to tell you one. If you need it
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turn on the lights, turn up the volume, or remind you to do
something it can do that for you.
2. Some shortfalls to AI’s are that it can be challenging to
implement it in the classrooms. With the Voice Kit, you have to
assemble it yourself. For some teachers this may be difficult
and time consuming. Training more teachers to use this type
of technology more effectively can help transform its potential.
If more teachers see the purpose of AI, they would be more
open to try it out in their lessons.
3. AI can be used similarly to its home use. It can be used to
change the classroom environment (lighting, music,
temperatures, projectors). It can also be used in a lesson.
Asking it to describe a word, or event that you are teaching. If
you have forgotten something you may ask it to read you your
to-do list. It is very beneficial when it comes to those tedious
tasks you may forget about. We can worry about it making
teachers “lazy”. Letting the AI do all of their work. That is why
we should teach teachers the right ways to use this technology
in order for it to have a positive effect on learning.
IGNITED LABS TECHNOLOGY AREA (XR)
The technology I chose to explore for XR was the “Oculus”. As
I played with the games available on the software I noticed how it
can be used for much more than playing. They had a walk through
history related game, which is essential for the hands on experience
aspect of learning.
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For each prompt – provide 1 – 2 paragraphs on your research
experience using each technology.
1. I think that this technology can really help students really
experience a certain subject or lesson they are learning. With
History, or science, this type of technology really allows for
students to retain information through experiencing it virtually.
I also believe that this type of technology is very beneficial to
those students who are visual learners. It is also a very fun
and engaging way to learn.
2. I believe that some shortfalls are that these types of
technologies are guided more towards gaming. I believe if we
make a certain XR for educational purposes only more
educators will be willing to use it in their classrooms. Also,
involving educators with the creation process and
programming process can help it benefit education more.
3. This technology can be purposeful in education in so many
ways. With XR you are able to “be apart” of the world you
choose to play in. This can really help with teaching “hands on”
experience with science, history, anatomy, storytelling, and
etc. For example, if a teacher is teaching a lesson about the
solar system, they could use XR to travel through space and
see the different plants virtually. Depending on the age, we
need to be cautious with what we show the students because
some can be sensitive to certain images.
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IGNITED LABS TECHNOLOGY AREA (IOT)
The type of IoT I explored at the IgnitED Lab was “The Beam”.
This IoT was very intriguing to me because you can use it to see
around a room. The employee at the Lab showed us the IgnitED Lab
at the Poly campus all from an app. It is very interesting to see how
you can interact with it from another place.
1. I believe that this type of technology, specifically The Beam,
can change the way students can interact in and out of the
classroom. If another Beam is available at a certain place
students can access that place through The Beam technology.
It displays their face on the screen and plays audio of sounds
in that place or that the student makes. This can help students
see different places without actually having to travel there.
Possibilities are endless with this specific type of IoT.
2. Again, some shortfalls of this technology is that it may be
difficult to work. Not that many people understand how it
works. It may seem somewhat intimidating to some at first
sight, however it can be very beneficial in the classroom. Some
advancements that are needed for this technology to reach its
potential to transform education is to train not only teachers,
but students on how to use this productively. Make it more
educational rather than just some other technology. Make it
easy for teachers to use for and with their students, and make
it more accessible.
3. This technology might be utilized for students who are unable
to make it to class, for teachers who want a guest to speak to
their students, or to just simply explore another place. It may
be bad because it can limit human interaction if used
incorrectly or excessively. However, it makes it easier to
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transfer data through networks. We should be cautious with
how much we rely on it. If we rely too much on it, we lose the
purpose it was intended for educationally.
RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS
With exploring all these technologies I found many interesting
aspects of each type of technology. I strongly believe that AI, IoT,
and XR can be implemented in education and improve it. It is very
beneficial to change the way students learn. Not only do the
students learn, but teachers learn with them as well. The world of
technology is advancing and evolving, as should we.
These technologies are helping students experience some
things that they may have never been able to experience if it was
not for the technology created for that purpose. Whether it is
lessons, subjects, projects, or just to teach about these types of
technologies, it can increase productivity and help enhance a
classroom and its learning environment. Education should not be
scared of change. Educators should use all the technologies available
to help them teach and learn. There are always cons to something
Cons such as limiting human interaction and relying too much on
these technologies. Just as we are learning so are these
technologies, so we should be patient and not get frustrated when it
is not working in our favor.
PERSONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Personally, I believe that all of these are so cool. I did not
know much about most of these technologies, but learning about
them really sparked an interest in me. It made me wonder how
these things can really help people teach and learn. I really enjoy
learning through hands on experience or visual experience. It helps
me retain more information about what I am learning. I noticed that
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more and more students learn better this way as well. That is why I
strongly believe that these technologies can benefit education
greatly. I feel like if I learn better through these technologies so
many other students can learn better through these as well.
As I mentioned above, technology is always advancing and
evolving to get better and make our lives easier. For so many years
educators stuck to one type of teaching, but I am glad to see that
we have these technologies available to us. We are excited to use it
in the future to better educate our future students and to educate
ourselves as well. It is all a learning process and it takes a lot of
adapting that I believe we can do.
