I seem to have stumbled across an article by Intel, which doesn't directly site the use of a digital camera, but it does focus on using "flexible technology" to enhance education. The article gives concrete examples of how these technology tools enhance any learning environment and helps students become a part of what they are learning.
Intel calls these tools "Open Source Solutions" and gives you reasons on why they should be purchased. Some of the reasons sited are:
- affordability
- tailoring for local needs
- framework for rich curriculum content
- educational solutions
These are all solid reasons to include technology in the classroom. The use of digital cameras can easily fit into these categories. The only issue I see is that the article is a huge sales push for Intel products. It is hard to get past the Intel sales pitch and read the article for its true value of supporting technology being put into classrooms.
cache-www.intel.com/cd/00/00/27/41/274112_274112.pdf
I ran into the sales push problem a number of times in my work. There was a lot of good information given but of course it may not be the most objective. On the other hand, it is likely in the best interest of companies to give credible information about their products, otherwise they open themselves up for a lot of criticism. And as we use more technology we will rely more on private industry to develop tools to enhance the classroom experience of our students. I used a number of items published by SMART Technologies and the software and equipment SMART and other companies are putting on the market are improving what we are doing in our classes.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen;
ReplyDeleteI was reading the article trying to find out what specific products the Intel kit provided and saw that one of the products is the learning management system Moodle. I didn't know that. The Library Management System Koa looks interesting. I bet open source library systems will become more and more popular in the next few years.
This site did go heavy on the sales pitch but like Joe said it is to their best interest to provide credible information about their products. I am glad I don't have to make decisions on which products to purchase at my school. It would be a very difficult job.