Games and Virtual Environments

What are the benefits of using games in the classroom?

Students are immersed in all types of technology outside of the classroom; including hand-held games, computers, ipods, ipads, cell phones and much more. Why not match the student experience in the classroom in an educational way? Games can be used with educational content if educators and game developers apply the content based on standards and curriculum. It can be an excellent way to teach students how to use games appropriately instead of students going home and participating in extremely violent, inappropriate games. Computer-based games are not just for fun, they can be educational and helpful in the learning process. It is important for educators and game developers to become aware of the demand for more educational games and perhaps games can become part of new way to deliver content in the classroom.

Information found in Bitter, Gary G. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. New York: Pearson Publishing

Emerging and Assistive Technology and the Future

In what ways are emerging technologies helping computers to mimic human capabilities?

It is amazing the ways computers and other software devices can translate human activity, especially speech recoginition. Speech recognition is used in a multitude of ways such as with phone companies and in education the use of the  programs Microsoft and Kurzweil have developed voice recognition. The capability of this type of technology will be unlimted in the future as it will be applied to cars, applicances and additional educational software.

Speech synthesis is a computers ability to duplicate sounds/words of the human voice. This technology has not reached its full potential but has the capability of impacting the lives of people who are voice-impaired. Computer speech could be used as a tool in education for special needs children.  Speech recognition and speech synthesis are emerging technologies that are continuously improving and will heavily impact society.