Technology Integration in Haiti

WoW,
I really enjoyed listening to Regine's Podcast on technology integration in Haiti. The use of sound effects really added kept me interested along with all of the research based information. I have learned that technology use in Haiti is really limited and there is a need to integrate technology in the Haitian Classroom.

Mobile Phones Used in Class

The first completely open mobile phone:

I was on youtube and ran across this video. There are open source computers, and now there is a open mobile phone. It is called openmoko. OpenMoko is a GNU / Linux based open software development platform. Developers have full access to OpenMoko source and they can tailor their implementations to underlying hardware platforms. You will also have access to many different free applications, all have been tested. The applications will not damage your phone.

Good reason to use. If I had an open mobile phone it would sense conversation is going on in the room and would automatically turn the ringer silent. I think that is totally awesome. I know for a fact there are a number of people out there who cell phone has rung during a meeting, class, or at work.
Leaving you with feels of shame, or saying to yourself "I can not believe my phone is ranging". With openmoko you will not have that problem.

Some government agencies are going to use them to track things, such as forest fires. This technology can also be using in an adult education class. There are many adult learners who have jobs, families and many other activities that are done during the course of the day. With this phone everything thing needed is compact into a small device such as this. Homework assignments can be done at the students convenience. Students can use cell phones as an educational tool in a number of ways. There are many students using cell phones as a handheld scanner, reminder list, and instant blogging. Those are just a few named on a wonderful site called Think Mobile Phones for Learning.

Check Out My First Podcast!!

Click here to listen to my podcast. My podcast is about different technologies used in an online setting.

My thoughts on using emergent technologies in the classroom

I think that emergent technologies are needed in today’s classrooms. As a child, I sat in classrooms that were very boring. All my teachers used drill and practice instructional methods. My grade school teachers would always stand in front of the classroom and lecture to me. As a child, I thought it was how the classroom should be run.
Once I graduated from college, I became a mathematics teacher. My thoughts and beliefs on what instructional methods to use in the classroom shifted. I believed it was my duty to make sure my students were engaged in the classroom. My instructional methods had a variety of learning styles. For example, my students would have an opportunity to get on the computer and engage in mathematics games. One of the sites was funbrain.com. There are games for students in grades k-8 in any subject. There is also a section for teachers. I hope you enjoy.