One of the most interesting
concepts explored in chapter 1 is the use of technology today among children. According
to the book's information, today's 12 to 18-year-olds are part of the
iGeneration, and have never known a world in which there are no cell phones, or
Internet access. This fact puts into perspective the importance of being
tech-savvy for teachers today. Many of those currently aspiring to be educators
were not brought up with technology as an everyday reality, certainly not the
kind available today. Already it is heavily incorporated into classrooms; there
exist very few without Smart Boards anymore. Online classes become more
prevalent every semester. It'll be interesting to see how the classroom, and
education at large, is transformed in the coming decades.
Chapter 1 also goes on to talk
about the importance of building a digital identity as an educator, or indeed
any professional. That sounded fairly intimidating; the book mentions that
along with a digital identity comes a "personal commitment to
innovation." Constantly reinventing one's career sounds like a massive,
frightening undertaking, and I hope I'll be up to the task when the time comes.
In the meantime, it's good to know that technology-related skills can be a part
of one's resume in the 21st century.
For all the talk about new
technologies and an ever-evolving world, however, we don't seem to be any
closer to figuring out how best to help "low-income, nonwhite, urban, and
rural youngsters" who lack access to these latest inventions and are thus
being left severely behind, as talked about in chapter 2. Many kids currently
don't have access to technology outside of their school environment, which can
be a hindrance to their performance, and that is unlikely to change. I worry
about how I might be able to handle situations like that in the future, and
hope that I can wrangle a solution that will be in my students' best interests.
Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
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ReplyDeleteGreat reflective blog post on three very relevant and important concepts. :) It is amazing how integral and ubiquitous technology has become in our lives. I do think that sometimes people put the blame on technology for some negative consequences, but it really is about the humans controlling (or not!) their use of technology...and the key is purposeful balance!
ReplyDeleteIn addition, you included the important ethical responsibility of properly adding your resources and adding a multlimedia enhancement. Nice work! However, you did not provide attribution to your video! and you always need to include all resources. For future blogposts, carry on as to how you wrote this one, but be sure to properly attribute everything and be sure to add a created web 2.0 digital tool to your blog.
Great reflective blog post on three very relevant and important concepts. :) It is amazing how integral and ubiquitous technology has become in our lives. I do think that sometimes people put the blame on technology for some negative consequences, but it really is about the humans controlling (or not!) their use of technology...and the key is purposeful balance!
ReplyDeleteIn addition, you included the important ethical responsibility of properly adding your resources and adding a multlimedia enhancement. Nice work! However, you did not provide attribution to your video! and you always need to include all resources. For future blogposts, carry on as to how you wrote this one, but be sure to properly attribute everything and be sure to add a created web 2.0 digital tool to your blog.