Tech Tools Not In Use

While our ED504 class meets only every so often, we have already seen two different presentations on technology tools and their potential applications to the classroom. I am somewhat ashamed to admit, albeit in hindsight, that I did not give these tools a proper consideration before determining they were of no use to me. Maybe it was the result of being in class from 5-8 after a long day of teaching at the end of a long week of being a student and the anticipation of the weekend looming. Perhaps it was that I was missing my beloved Tigers get, though unexpectedly to me at the time, obliterated by the pesky Orioles of Baltimore. I now reflect that, perhaps as my curriculum maps take shape in the future, I will find ways to use these tools. I briefly describe them here.

The first tool that was presented was the website "padlet." My classmates began their presentation with an introductory video that served as a tutorial for using the website. Immediately, I compared the tool to a blog with a lot of fancy bells and whistles. It reminded me somewhat of Blendspace, as well. Teachers can upload materials, links, or use it as a forum for students to post responses. I think that using this tool, instead of others that do similar things, is really dependent on personal preference. If a teacher regularly uses or wants to use these activities and resources in his or her class, then padlet is a fine vehicle for doing so. So far I am simply not one of those teachers. If I want students to respond to a poll, I'll send them a Google Form. If I want them to see some resources, I'll organize them into a slide so that I don't have to reserve technology for them to use themselves. If I want to post links, I'll share a Google Doc with them or make it available on my teacher site. I think that giving students access to something like padlet invites too many opportunities for distraction and inappropriate responses. Padlet, at first glance, was not for me.

The second tool demonstrated by my peers was "audacity." I have some familiarity with the program from my days attempting to become an amateur DJ. That week really flew by, and I haven't used the tool since. I'm assuming a lot has changed with its capabilities and user-friendliness, but my first glance from using the tool in class does not support my assumption. It's interface is still, to me, both busy and boring at the same time. I don't know how else to describe it. I also don't like that I would need to download it on to my computer, which is already pressed for space. But I'm just one guy. Our practice with it was admittedly entertaining, and my classmates raised some excellent points for how it could be used in a classroom. Most interesting to me was the possibility of recording a lesson for students who are absent. An audio file would certainly take up much less space than a video of a lesson, so there is some intrigue to that. I have only ever known teachers to compile a packet of missed work, so that was my own inclination. However, audacity may have its place in that regard. I will keep an open mind.

I don't know whether I will ever find myself in a position where I want to use these tools, but at least I now know they exist. I use technology every day, but my tendencies in the classroom are to put up images and directions on a slide to enhance discussion. I have liked many other uses of technology I have seen used in this program and the class, specifically, and I think it is highly likely I employ some of those. Specifically, many professors have used polls for do-nows and been able to quickly evaluate and discuss the responses. I have really enjoyed these. Maybe I am just a simple man, or perhaps I am resistant to doing things differently than I learned them, but I was not initially persuaded to put these other tech tools to use.