Bloom's and Technology - A new vision

               Bloom's has been a big part of education for many years. In recent years technology has become a much more prevalent aspect of education. Combining Bloom's and technology is only a natural progression for education. In the image above you can see how Bloom's traditional triangle look at education has been blended with technology options. Teachers can use the image above to find applications that can be used in the classroom and fulfill Bloom's. For each of the following classroom configurations there are challenges as well as advantages that must be recognized. 

One Computer and Projector: 
            Having only one computer lends itself to certain educational opportunities but can be challenging in the same class. Having one computer you can watch videos as a class or Skype with professionals with the entire class theoretically but individual activities can pose a challenge. If teachers would like to have an individual activity for students there are a couple of options that can be put into play. The students could have a non technology aspect to the activity that is being worked on while individual groups of students rotate to different stations. One of those stations can incorporate the computer. By using stations the students stay actively involved and all students will see the technology. The students could also share the computer and pass the computer around. One of my dreams is to have a computer that is also a touchable tablet that I can hook up to a projector using Bluetooth. This would allow me to pass the tablet around so that different students can use the technology throughout the class. 

10 computers or i Macs:
             Personally I would go with just normal PCs but that I suppose is a personal opinion. The great thing about having just a small group of computers is that students are forced to work cooperatively when using the technology. By having just those few computers in the classroom you can also set up a version of stations for the students. Multiple students can be on the computers and then rotate out throughout the class. Teachers can also have small groups working on different projects in the same area. If teachers are worried about each student getting to use the technology then teachers could assign roles to students with the groups so that each student had a responsibility within their group project. The teacher would have to pay attention that the students were completing the assigned piece of the project and that another student is not monopolizing the technology. 

25 Chromebooks (COW)/ i Macs or computers:
        I think that this option as well as the next option are my personal favorites. These options are so similar that I am going to group them together in this case. Having enough computers for every or almost every student in the classroom leads itself to incorporating technology on a regular basis. Students can be given all different assignments to work on and teachers do not have to worry about copying of projects. This also allows for the ability for students to all be working on the same project on a (google sheets or docs) without having to share the computers. Students can also play one another on certain sites while practicing skills. It is important in this situation the teacher is very aware of  what the students are doing while on the computers. With all students having a computer it becomes easily overlooked that not all students are focused on the assigned task. This can be remedied if all students are required to keep their computers facing one way as well as making sure that the activities or projects assigned do not allow for down time. 

BYOD:
          Although an interesting idea this one poses the most issues for teachers. Not only will students all have different types of technology but they will also have different types of software access on their device. Having their own device opens the door for games and other distracting apps to be loaded on to the device without the teachers knowledge. It also can cause issues with connection at the school itself since the teacher cannot set-up the devices for the students before hand. However each student being able to bring their technology home to work on activities outside of the classroom opens the door for blogger style apps that can begin conversations outside of school and can be looked at at school the following day.