PROJECT PLAN 

Inquiry Module 
Cody Bortle​ September 24, 2019 
 
Description 
In this experiment I will be investigating how different advances 
in technology can be applied in a high school classroom setting 
and how it can positively benefit future students. Technology is 
constantly advancing and teachers need to be able to adapt 
with the technology fast so they can quickly apply it to their 
curriculum. Currently I am on track to obtain a BA in Secondary 
Math Education with a minor in Spanish. However, I would also 
like to add a minor in art during my second year here. I’ve 
always had a deep interest in different technology and how it 
changes over time. I would like to explore the variety of 
technology in the IgnitED labs such as the Google AIY Voice Kit, 
Podcast, and the Oculus Rift. 
SUBJECT AREA OF INTEREST  
My subject area of interest is Math, Spanish, and Art Education 
in a high school setting. I am investigating these different 
technologies so I can learn how to implement them in my future 
classroom to help engage students and create a more exciting 
learning environment. 
IGNITED LABS Technology AREA (AI) 
I chose to experiment with the Google AIY Voice Kit in the 
IgnitED labs. This kit allows students to do their own 
experimenting with Artificial Intelligence and allows them to 
guide their own learning as to how Artificial Intelligence actually 
works. 
 1) Education has taken a large shift when it comes to the 
involvement of technology in the classroom. Throughout 
my time in the education system I have watched more and 
more technology enter the classroom, which allowed for 
more creativity when it comes to learning. If students were 
to use the Google AIY Voice Kit it would allow them to learn 
how AI functions as opposed to watching a youtube video 
about it. The Google AIY Voice Kit teaches students how to 
set up a natural language recognizer and how to connect 
it to their Google Assistant. 
2) I was never exposed to any technology like this prior to my 
visit to the IgnitED lab. In eighth grade technology class I 
was taught the simple coding of a stoplight and other 
basics, but neither helped me understand how the Google 
AIY Voice Kit actually worked. There’s not enough 
education surrounding AI in the modern classroom, which 
needs to change if we would like to further develop this 
technology. 
3) Artificial Intelligence such as the Google AIY Voice Kit can 
be used for good and bad outside of its original intended 
purpose. For example, AI can be used to help people with 
basic everyday tasks such as setting an alarm, creating a 
shopping list, and even setting reminders. Although AI can 
be used to make daily life easier there may be future 
conflicts with the technology such as hackers using our 
voices for illegal purposes. 
IGNITED LABS Technology AREA (XR) 
I chose to experiment with the Oculus Rift in the IgnitED lab. 
This piece of technology allows students to experience certain 
places, time periods, or events that they would not be able to 
do so without it.  
1) I believe that by using the Oculus Rift in the classroom 
allow students to learn in a way that they never were able 
 to in the past. The Oculus Rift would allow students to fully 
immerse themselves in another culture, experience 
mathematically driven buildings, or even visit art museums 
in different countries. I believe that the Oculus Rift would 
offer a different and more fun approach to learning any 
subject. 
2) Since the Oculus Rift has just made its appearance 
recently it is still very high in price, which only allows 
private schools with a higher budget to actively engage 
with the technology in a classroom setting. As newer 
versions of the Oculus Rift continue to come out, the 
average price of the older versions will drop significantly. 
This drop in price will allow for all public schools to engage 
with the technology without worrying about their budget 
taking a big hit. 
3) The Oculus Rift can be utilized for good or bad outside of 
its intended purpose. The Oculus Rift will allow students to 
experience events or places and engage in their learning 
further than they previously were capable of doing. 
Although this technology offers a different and fun way to 
learn, it can also serve as a distraction or can be used for 
non-educational purposes. 
IGNITED LABS Technology AREA (IoT) 
I chose to experiment with Podcast in the ignitED lab. This 
technology allows for students to listen to audio recordings of 
whatever they wish to learn about. It can also be used by 
educators to record lessons so their students can listen to it 
again at their own need. 
1) I believe that by using Podcasts in the classroom allow 
students to learn in a way that they never were able to in 
the past. For example, my Calculus II professor records his 
lectures and posts them on canvas. This allows me to go 
back and re-learn anything I didn’t understand in the 
 actual lecture. Also it has been said that repetition 
enhances your learning of any subject you’re attempting 
to learn. I feel like the use of this technology will change 
the way people learn. 
2) I believe that one shortfall of this technology would be a 
lack of knowledge and a fear of change. I feel that most 
teachers, especially of the older generation, don’t have a 
lot of knowledge about how much Podcast would positively 
benefit their students learning, so they just don’t try to 
incorporate it into their learning environment. Teachers 
need to be constantly experimenting with new ways to 
educate their students to ensure that they are doing it in 
the most effective and efficient way. 
3) Podcasts can be utilized for good or bad outside of their 
intended purpose. Podcasts would allow for students to 
further their knowledge about specific subjects that they 
are interested in outside of class and will help them further 
understand the content that they are learning in class. I 
can see a problem if students aren’t actually using them. 
However, if more teachers are using Podcast I see a future 
conflict of teachers content possibly being sold or used for 
the wrong purposes. 
Research conclusions 
My visit to the ignitED lab enhanced my understanding of new 
technology and inspired me to incorporate a lot of technology 
in my future classroom. Use of technology in the classroom has 
been heavily debated in the past decade as to if it actually is 
beneficial for students. The technologies that I decided to 
research strongly supports the side that it is in fact beneficial 
for students to have technology incorporated in the classroom. 
As a future educator I will most definitely be incorporating 
technology into my classroom and curriculum. 
 Through my research I found that the use of technology in 
the classroom benefits the students in all aspects of their 
learning experience. Three examples of these technologies 
would be Google AIY Voice Kit, Podcast, and the Oculus Rift. The 
Google AIY Voice Kit allows students to experiment with and 
further their understanding of Artificial Intelligence. Podcasts 
allows students to obtain more knowledge about subjects 
mentioned both in-class and out-of-class. The Oculus Rift allows 
students to immerse themselves in an out of the classroom 
experience such as another country's culture, art museums, or 
mathematically driven buildings. If these technologies were to 
be used intensively in an educational environment the future 
generation would continue to grow and innovate. 
Personal Learning experience 
My experience exploring these three technologies was a roller 
coaster of emotions, from confusion to excitement, I felt it all. 
While I was investigating the Google AIY Voice Kit I found myself 
becoming confused easily since I didn’t have much prior 
knowledge about Artificial Intelligence. On the other hand, while 
I was learning about Podcast I found myself really invested in 
what I was learning since the technology has already made an 
impact on my learning. I feel that if these technologies were to 
be incorporated in my learning that information would be 
easier to learn and I would be far more interested in the subject.