Out of all the technologies that we learned about in Chapter 12, I believe that 3D printing shows the most promise. At first, I thought this was useless and I didn't fully understand how it could be helpful in a classroom setting or any setting at all. I thought it was just a fancy thing that made nothing into something. I was wrong though and it actually has a lot of uses that could change education. 3D printing can become useful in almost any subject. In history, it can print out replicas of fossils or artifacts from certain historical events. In geography, it can create a map that shows distances between areas students are learning about. 3D printers also are useful when it comes to kids with disabilities. It can print out brail for kids who are blind and it helps blind kids feel what other students are able to see.
Biometrics is a technology that is not yet being used in classrooms but I am confident that it will soon become big in classrooms. When first reading about this, I thought it was a little weird and too advanced for classrooms but now I feel like it could really improve student's learning and improve the way teachers teach. It can track student's heart rate, body odor, the way they are feeling. It helps determine how students are learning and if they are understanding the information being taught. This could help teachers individualize the way they teach each student. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/tech/biometrics-and-the-future-of-identification/
The digital divide is basically a divide between people who have access to technology vs. people who don't have access to technology. I was lucky enough to always have access to technology growing up. I never had access to super high tech stuff but I always was able to use a computer if I needed it. Being a teacher, this could be tough. We can't just assume that students know how to use a computer because they may not be able to at home. As a teacher, I would try to make sure that all students were able to use the school computers and were knowledgable in the basics of using it. Technology is so important in society today and I believe all students and teachers should be able to use it and should be taught how to use it.
If you think reading skills will be diverse in your classroom, just wait until you see how varied the tech skills are! The good thing is, at this time, technology isn't tested. Or maybe that's a bad thing, because schools don't focus on what's not tested (as a rule - there are beautiful exceptions).
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