I saw technology in the classroom change even during my twenty-plus years as a student, from slide projectors to overhead projectors with the write-on plastic to laptops with a projector plugged into a USB port. My elementary class was probably one of the last for which it was still okay to turn in a hand-written paper; I think by 6th grade it was expected you had to type it out, either at home or on one of the school’s four-colored Apple computers. As school evolves, so does technology. While some are skeptical of change, others embrace it:
Los Angeles history teacher Enrique Legaspi… went to a workshop that discussed ways to use Twitter in teaching and now his students—even the shy ones—at Hollenbeck Middle School in East L.A. are speaking up more.
In the video [below], you can watch Legaspi teach a World War I lesson, and hear him explain how Twitter has revolutionized discussions, helped him know more about his shy students, and modify his instruction to meet their needs.
I’m still ambivalent towards using technology for technology’s sake, especially when it comes to school and learning. However, I also understand how hard it can be to engage kids in learning, and I’m open to using different tools, even if it’s Twitter. I’m curious what other experience teachers and educators have had with using technology.
*Edit:* This experiment is also interesting in light of recent surveys that say Gen Y students don’t actually use Twitter all that much: http://t.co/eEOohph via @jeffbullas.
Related articles
- Twitter finds its place in the classroom (cnn.com)
- Skype is connecting teachers and classrooms across the globe (blogs.skype.com)
- Creative Ways to Use Technology in the Classroom (timesoftexas.com)
Mental Flowers 
Found one more article; this one about using Xbox to teach English: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/interactive-gaming-systems-being-used-as-teaching-aid-2011-06-10