I read through chapter 12, and I think the technology that holds the biggest promise for education is the three-dimensional printer. After seeing it in person in the tech sandbox, I also think it's pretty cool. I'm a visual learner myself, so seeing things printed in three-dimensions is super cool to me, and I think it would help me learn better. It would give students new experiences that they wouldn't be able to have with a standard printer, including dimensions, textures, ratios, etc. I think it could be developed into an awesome addition to every classroom.
Another technology that I don't believe is currently in classrooms, but definitely could be is Sphero. We played with the little robot in the tech sandbox as well, and I think it would be a really interesting development, especially for people who are interested in trying their hand at coding. I know a lot of people that do coding for fun, but it's actually pretty useful information, so Sphero could help get students interested in it in a way that captures their attention. Check Sphero out here: http://www.sphero.com/sphero.
The digital divide addresses the separation between people who do and don't have access to technology. Personally, I've never lacked technology - we've always had televisions, computers, iPods, phones, etc. I obviously only know what it's like to be on the side of the divide that has had access to technology, and because of that, I will never be able to know what it's like to be on the other side of the divide. As the podcast addresses, however, it's not just an issue between developing and developed countries. Within America, there are people, especially children who are on the opposite side of the digital divide, and I know I need to keep in mind that my future classroom may contain students that are on that side of the digital divide. I can't just assume that everyone knows how to use the technology that I'm discussing in class, and I'll have to remember that students without access to technology skills from birth may be less confident using it.
An interesting corollary to the digital divide may be the technology competence of parents. One day, (we hope), students may all have internet access computers at home. Will it matter if parents only use technology for social media and shopping? Maybe not. I wonder if the situation is similar to having books in the home and seeing parents read and reading with parents.
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