PROJECT PLAN

Inquiry Module
Chloe Chen

September 24, 2019

Description
My subject area of interest before I went and explored the lab was 3D printing, Virtual Reality,
and the Google Speaker because my friend recommended those three technologies to me. The
3D printer intrigued me because I had never worked with one before and I thought it would be
really cool to discover what I could use the printer for. I think the 3D printer was my favorite
technology I explored because For Virtual Reality, I had used a headset before but I didn’t really
like the setting I was out in so I wanted to try it a second time and explore a different
simulation. After using VR again my takeaway is that it is really unique because it allows you to
step into a different environment and I really had fun with it. Lastly, the Google Speaker was
interesting but not my favorite. At first I was interested because I’ve used similar speakers like
Alexa and Echo and I wanted to see the similarities and differences between these brands.

SUBJECT AREA OF INTEREST

Replace this text with your subject area of interest and 1-3 sentences on why you chose it.

My subject area of interest is technology that helps special education classrooms. One reason
why I chose this subject was because technology can make a big change in these types of
learning environments.

IGNITED LABS Technology AREA (AI)

The Artificial Intelligence application I explored was the 3D Printer. I chose the 3D printer
because it was interesting to me how people can now print things other than words on a piece
of paper so I wanted to see how it works. With this technology you get to pick what you want to
print on a computer and it sends to the printer. Things can take either minutes, hours, or
sometimes days to print. Your item can be customized by the shape, size dimensions, and color
and it comes out as plastic.

For each prompt – provide 1 – 2 paragraphs on your research experience using each
technology.

1. How do you think this technology will (or will not) change the way people learn within
your subject area?
 a. AI has already changed the way people learn. Nowadays, physically going to class
is optional as long as you have a computer and wifi. AI has also simplified many
tasks because people are able to do things faster. In the field of education I
would like to be in, Early Childhood and Special Education, AI can help students
with personalized learning. There are now programs and learning systems that
provide individualized curriculums which can help special ed students learn and
work on specific needs. I don’t think 3D printers can change the way young
special education students learn but one way I could integrate it into teaching
them is we could print objects they can play with. It could also be a way of
teaching them life skills such as patience because once something is d=sent to
the 3D printer it takes time to print. 3D printing in a classroom depends on how
much the teacher wants to incorporate and how familiar the teacher is with 3D
printing.
2. What are some of the shortfalls of this technology currently? What advancements
(technological or otherwise) are needed for this technology to reach its potential to
transform the way we learn?
a. Some shortfalls of 3D printing currently is that there are limited materials
because this technology is still being developed. Another shortfall is that 3D
printing is decreasing manufacturing jobs. This means major manufacturing
countries could be poorly affected. Also, 3D printers do not know how to fix
mistakes. Sometimes when a mistake is made, the printer will just stop and not
complete the print. 3D printers need to be programed to fix issues on its own.
The last issue of 3D printing is that it’s very expensive, so not all schools can
afford it.
3. Describe how this technology might be utilized (for good or bad) outside of its original
intended purpose? Do you foresee anything we should be wary of?
a. 3D printing can definitely be used in the wrong way. People could print out
weapons such as guns or knives. 3D printing could get out of control and very
dangerous if put in the wrong hands.

IGNITED LABS Technology AREA (XR)

For XR I chose to explore Virtual Reality. The benefits of VR could be for a history classroom,
students can put themselves back in time.

For each prompt – provide 1 – 2 paragraphs on your research experience using each
technology.

1. How do you think this technology will (or will not) change the way people learn within
your subject area?
a. I don’t believe Virtual Reality can really change the way special education
students learn because it is just looking around, you don’t actually get to touch
or speak to people back in history. I think for special education VR can be a good
experience for students because they can explore a different environment. VR
might better suit the needs of a history classroom where students can put
 themselves back in time. VR could also be good for special ed students because
they could get to experience something new, such as a simulation.
2. What are some of the shortfalls of this technology currently? What advancements
(technological or otherwise) are needed for this technology to reach its potential to
transform the way we learn?
a. Some shortfalls of Virtual Reality could be that it is very expensive and it can
become confusing because VR is not real life. If students get too involved with VR
it could become detrimental to their relationships in real life. VR could also
confuse special needs students because everyone learns in their own way and
some students might not understand or like using VR. Also, in the classroom, if
students aren’t monitored while using VR they could use it for things other than
what it was intended for. For instance, a student can use VR for video games and
that defeats the purpose of it in the classroom.
3. Describe how this technology might be utilized (for good or bad) outside of its original
intended purpose? Do you foresee anything we should be wary of?
a. VR can be used outside of its original purpose by using it to experience natural
catastrophes. People can learn how to better prepare by seeing what went wrong
in big events like earthquakes or hurricanes. We could try to see how to protect
people, houses, buildings, etc. This is possible because VR can replicate certain
environments.

IGNITED LABS Technology AREA (IoT)

The IoT application I explored was the Google Speaker. This can help students learn the
importance of building new technology to fit their own needs.

For each prompt – provide 1 – 2 paragraphs on your research experience using each
technology.

1. How do you think this technology will (or will not) change the way people learn within
your subject area?
a. I think the Google Speaker will help the way people learn but only to an extent. I
don’t think the Google Speaker is going to change learning just because it can
only do so much for us. One thing I think it could help with in a classroom is
teaching students to follow instructions. Since the speaker is put together by the
user, special education students can take this as an opportunity to learn the
importance of paying attention to detail.
2. What are some of the shortfalls of this technology currently? What advancements
(technological or otherwise) are needed for this technology to reach its potential to
transform the way we learn?
a. A shortfall of this technology could be that someone doesn’t put it together
correctly. If directions aren’t followed accurately, the speaker will not work.
Another disadvantage of this technology is that schools might not always be able
to afford it. Other than these two issues, I don’t think there are many
disadvantages to this technology in a classroom.
 3. Describe how this technology might be utilized (for good or bad) outside of its original
intended purpose? Do you foresee anything we should be wary of?
a. Something that is a little worrisome for me is that the Google Speaker is always
listening to you. You don’t know who is listening through the computer system
but I would feel like my privacy is violated because of this. Along with that,
trigger words can turn the speaker on and that could become a distraction in the
classroom.

Research conclusions

Replace this text with 2-3 paragraphs of a summary of your findings and what you think the
future of these technologies holds for changing (for good or bad) the way we interact with
technology to learn in the subject area you identified.

I think the future of these technologies could be really helpful in a classroom for special
education students. One thing that I think is important to note is that even though technology
is very useful and can help students learn a different way, the traditional teacher, student
interaction is still very significant. Technology can be distracting if the instructor does not have
time restrictions and rules to when they should use technology and for what lessons or
curriculum. Also, we tend to get very distracted with technology so we should try to limit
ourselves and continue to incorporate physical teaching along with technology.

Technologies such as the three I explored in the lab will continue to improve and be developed.
As a future educator I think it is important to stay up to date with new technology because it
had so many advantages especially for special education students. It can help students learn
more unique curriculums and have fun learning certain things that these technologies provide.

Personal LEarning experience

Replace this text with 1-2 paragraphs describing your own experience exploring the three
emerging technology areas. How would you describe your own learning with / through / about
those technologies? Do you feel you learn better / worse / the same through these
technologies?

With my own learning experience, I think having a balance between physical teaching and
teaching through technology is important. Sometimes technology doesn’t provide detail like an
instructor can and it can’t always answer questions. Since I was never personally taught using
these three technologies, I am not sure how reliable they actually are for students. After
learning the advantages of these technologies I concluded that they can make learning more
hands on and engaging for students. Technology can also be very useful for visual learners and
in my subject of interest, special education, the benefits are extensive.

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