Affordances and constraints in education..................

The meaning of technology "affordances" and "constraints" in terms of education refers to what can be done (affordances) and what limitations (constraints) will arise while using technology to educate. Educating using technology broadens the scope of delivery of an educators subject matter. There are endless possibilities that can assist in the delivery of a lesson. A history teacher can make history come alive with the proper use of technology. There are a broad spectrum of apps, games, and blogs to assist a tech savvy educator with presenting a engaging lesson that will have your students begging for more.
My all time favorite site for innovative teacher ideas, has to be pinterest. Pinterest is an awesome website for educators, especially if you are challenged in the creative department. I use it for substitute teachers who are assigned to my place of employment, but there are no sub-plans available. It is also a handy tool to find something for  my own children to do when boredom strikes. There are so many awesome technological tools that can be used when it comes to education. From beat making apps in music class, to apps that allow students to construct interactive history timelines.
There is a wealth of information that will offer the innovative educator many "affordances" in preparing students for the next level. However, there are some limitations to utilizing technology in education.
The number one constraint that is often sited when discussing technology in education is price. As someone who is employed in a low-income school, price is always the follow-up question to all "can we implement this" request. Although price plays a big role, internet connectivity is also another big one. The internet connection is subpar at best, and is not trustworthy enough to handle any large scale connection. In addition to price, and connectivity, I would also have to state that reluctance is the biggest constraint faced when attempting to do anything new and innovative. What I have found is that educators resist change more than any other people, which has contributed greatly to antiquated policies within the educational system.

Flipped Classroom

The Flipped Classroom

The flipped classroom is most commonly used in post-secondary learning environments. I believe that it is a useful tool that can be used to introduce students to a subject that may be difficult to grasp. It can be especially beneficial to use this method to ensure that your classroom becomes more of a student centered learning environment. I myself thoroughly enjoy having an assignment to complete before class, so that I can be prepared to engage in classroom discussion. I am not sure if this technique is commonly used in the K-12 classroom setting. I am more familiar with the backward design and gradual release of responsibility models. This model would especially come in handy in a secondary education classroom.

I would utilize this model by first ensuring that all of my students have access to technology outside of the classroom. One of the key components of the flipped classroom model is introducing the material to be discussed or demonstrated in an electronic format prior to the class. Ensuring that the students have access to the required technology is essential. Next, I would ensure that the material would be able to shared and played over several formats, i.e. text, email, and app downloading.
Then I would gather information regarding the background knowledge of the specific content from my students. This will assist me in determining the type of electronic introduction that I would select to introduce the topic to my students. Which would in turn offer an outline on the rest of the instruction so that I so could plan and properly execute to ensure that my students grasped the content.

Educational technology best practices of the utmost importance

The next generation of world leaders are currently exposed to technology before they are formed in the womb. With 3-D sonogram imagery allowing them to smile for the camera before their cheeks have taken shape. It is no wonder that these children are able to navigate effortlessly on any electronic device before they are able to stand without assistance. It is only natural to utilize their love for electronics to assist them in developing a love for learning with the assistance of technology as well. Although the education world has been slow to integrate the use of technology, it is now beginning to recognize the importance of its use.

Technology in the classroom is an important aspect of student development. It can assist with reaching students on their individual learning styles, academic levels, and comprehensive abilities. Although technology in the classroom has great benefits, there are still best practices that should be implemented to ensure that it is used accordingly. There are a lot of ideas on what those best practices should be. I feel that the there should be universal best practices, but some of them should be tailored towards the individual institution of learning.

The most common best practices are: thorough staff developments (in order to have a successful technological program, administrators and educators must be properly trained), meaningful integration (the technology must directly relate to the content area, classroom assignments, and learning objectives), seek student input (allow the students to give recommendations and feedback for the technology used) , experimentation (allow teachers some level of flexibility of the technology used), and bring your own device (most school districts face funding issues that limits the implementation of technology, allowing students to bring the devices that they have at home would help defer costs)..