Blog Post #D- Chapter 5

As this class continually show us a variety of ways to incorporate technology to a learning base course that children can use on a daily basis we should also become fluent with technology. With technology now a person is able to read a book in sheer darkness with the use of a nook or kindle. There are now online books people buy to use with their tablets, kindles, and nooks which are cheaper and also more portable instead of hauling big textbooks around campus.  Also with these devices one can also highlight, write side notes, bookmark and use so many more features. The best part of this is with these devices we are able to connect to the Internet and navigate through search engines to gather information needed for lectures.  Search engines are a wonderful way to find the information needed for just about everything from driving directions, cooking instructions, and let not forget about research. Search engine function by entering certain phrases or keyword which then they look through their information and give us long lists of websites we can look through.  Although it may seem easy we must also be cautious of the information given to us.

When using online information to we must learn to evaluate information to verify that the information is indeed essential and validated.  When dealing with elementary school children especially is important we strain the use of “bad” information. For instance, misinformation is wrong information, out of date or misleading. There is also malformation in which there is harmful material unsuitable for young ones whether it be sexual images or information from bias points of view.   Fortunately, most schools now have outsmarted these said website. The schools now have the ability to use filtering software to censor material, as well as exclude children from using certain website that are not authenticated.  Schools have also created a portal for children to access resources in which the school verifies the website and ensure the information is relevant and not misleading.

With technology most school work and lesson are done through or with the use of a computer. With this, there are also responsibilities one must use in order to be a digital citizen. Not only is it important for educators to understand and properly use it, but it is also essential for us as future educators to teach the upcoming generations the information for them to become digital citizens as well.  One of the most important parts of being a digital citizen is not allowing plagiarism and cheating when using technology in a classroom. As I previously mentioned technology is a wonderful tool but just the same it is essential to give credit to the author/s who originally created the material. Overall, plagiarism or cheating in school or college can only lead to disciplinary action such as failing the course, suspension even high fines paid to the original author. With this being said leads me to the next issue of Cyber-bullying.  Cyber-bullying is treating or negative comments send to another individual with the use of a computers, cell phones, chat rooms, text messages and so forth.  Cyber-bullying is dangerous to any individual and can lead the victim to depression, low self-esteem and suicide tendency.  Cyber-bullying is something that needs to be dealt with immediately once seen so that people don’t get hurt by this.  All in all, it essential for us to understand how to be a digital citizen so we can teach others as well.

 In conclusion, technology is an amazingly helpful tool that is used on a daily basis.  However, it can also be a very dangerous tool if not used properly. With these being said, we as future educators must learn to properly use said items such as search engines and efficient websites so we are able to teach our classrooms the proper way to use it as well. 

Resoucres:

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.    

ToonDoon used to create image

Digital Blog Post #C- Chapter 3

   

       Overall so far this is by far one of the most interesting chapters I have read. I love how much teaching has changed throughout time and continues to evolve more and more. Most educators don’t realize how far teaching methods have evolved but for me personally once I started reading the chapter and from my personal experience in working with children I have been given the opportunity to see these practices in action. At the same time while reading I realized the difference in how teachers educate nowadays as the comparison to how I was taught and although it may not seem that far back it sure has changed.
    One of the topics that were a real eye opener to me was teacher-centered and student-centered approaches. In this section, it mainly refers to as how before teachers title was basically what one would do. In other words,  a teacher's job was to “teach”, stand in front of a classroom and lecture student about certain subjects and a student’s job was to sit and listen and eventually understand the material. However in this method all children were taught in the same manner without realizing that not all children have the same mindset and each requires a different type of learning method. Thus, leading us to the evolution of teaching in which teachers now try to engage students in learning rather than just teach.  By engaging the student in learning, teachers us an array of teaching methods to capture the students attentions using the material in and outside of the classroom. For instance in class teacher now use grouping methods so this way children learn from one another and interact more with their classmates instead of just listening to the teacher.
    With this being said, it brings us to the second concept in which technology has changed the way children now do research. When I was in school when a research needed to be done we would rely on textbooks for information’s. It probably wasn’t until high school that I used mainly digital literacy to do research on certain topics and even then there wasn’t as many digital literacy as there is now.  With technology evolving, there are endless amounts of information from digital literacy. The student now has digital literacy to find the information needed, for instance, they can use WebQuest, an online newspaper, digital dictionaries and so forth.  This allows students to learn in more efficient ways that work best for them, such as those students who are more visual learners can use videos to learn about a topic.
     All in all, the section that captivated me the most was the expressing creativity.  Throughout time children who were more artistic in drawing, sculpting, and knitting or intellectual capacity to invent something new were the children who were most praised as being creative. While those children who weren’t artistic were just regular ordinary kids but just as technology has evolved so has the term of creativity.  Now in order for a child to be referred to as creative they no longer must have some sort of artistic skill or high intellectual capability but rather be able to express themselves in different forms not just by artistic skill. For instance a creative child might express their creativity on a bicycle, in order for them to be creative they must be able to do something they have never done before or if done before to find  a ways to do it better than the previous time. This way any child can be referred to as creative.

Instructional methods to engage students | Piktochart Infographic Editor

Resources:

 Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education In

You Can Learn Anything. (2014, August 19). Retrieved September 20, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC82Il2cjqA

Digital Blog Post #B- Chapter 2

The first concept that really stuck out to me was the technological barrier that, unfortunately, occurs more often than we could hope. Although we live in the 21st century there are still some schools that don’t have the resources necessary to develop the technological learning portion of the classroom. This barrier is referred by educators as the digital divides and participation gaps. “Digital divides and participation gaps affect mainly low-income, non-white, urban, and rural youngsters, and occur when students do not have access to the latest technologies at school or at home.” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 33). Also there are other factors that may intervene with the digital divides, for instance in some cases the teachers feel that they don’t need to embed technology into their teaching methods because  it is not emphasized or required by the state's curriculum and their  main focus  is on reviewing for state and national exams. 

    With this being said, it brings me to concept two, digital natives, and digital immigrants. This new generation of student are referred to as digital native, they grew up with this technology they learn with it, and it is a part of their everyday life and rely on it on a day to day basis. As comparison to us or I at least would consider myself a digital immigrant because as a kid technology wasn’t something that we used on a daily basis but rather once in a blue moon when an extensive research paper had to be done.  As we continue to evolve so does technology and technology continuously plays a bigger role in teaching. Therefore, we as the future educators must learn to overcome digital disconnections and incorporate technology in our teaching. “As a teacher, our actions will either bridge or extend the digital disconnection that so many students perceive between themselves and the schools.” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 41). From what I have noticed this generation loves to use technology even when it is unnecessary they continually find the urge to use it. Personally for me I believe that if this is the best way a student’s attention is captured then we should use it to our advantage and find fun activities to which they can continue to learn with.    

    All in all, this bring me to the final concept of technological readiness.  As previously mentioned above technology is inevitable and we as educators must learn to use it. As that one saying goes if you can’t beat them join them, and, in this case, it is all about being prepared.  Instead of going against technology and resisting it we can find ways to develop lessons and engage students in a new educational material so this way both the teacher and the student are satisfied. Technology can be of a great benefit to us and simplify teaching jobs because with technology teachers are now able to post discussions online via Twitter or Facebook, as well as receive and grade assignments, even upload lectures. From my perspective, instructional practices are the best way to incorporate technology into the classroom by allowing students to use their wireless devices for class discussions and other group projects.

In conclusion, if we want to educate the future leaders of this country we must learn to interact with them and find ways to engage them in lectures. We must prepare ourselves for the future and learn as much as we can so we can allow the students to use Web 2.0 tools in ways to benefit them in their short and long term goals. Otherwise, we will be left behind rather than help student exceed.

Resources:

DeGraff, J. (2014, June 6). Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants. Retrieved September 12, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-degraff/digital-natives-vs-digita_b_5499606.html

Maloy, R. (2013). Understanding Educational Technology Issues and Trends. In Transforming learning with new technologies (2nd ed.). Pearson.

Digital Blog Post #A- Chapter 1

Students nowadays are known as the iGeneration because they grow up with technology as a part of their everyday life. It’s more of a second hand nature to them, it’s something children are born into versus previous generations who had to be taught how to use it. Although this is a concept that I have heard of it is not something that I have sat down and thought about. Statistics such as “two-thirds of nursery school children and 80 % of kindergartners using computers” illustrate how important technology has become to the 21^st century student.

By having the knowledge that the iGeneration grew up with technology and is immensely affected by it, I feel I can be more effective as a teacher. This means I need to prepare myself by exposing myself to many different technologies in order to reach my students. Since we live in an ever-changing world I also have to adapt and help my students adapt by incorporating technology inside the classroom. Methods that have worked for me in the past are using a smart board to enhance classroom instruction and online interactive games such as Sumdog.

This is especially important to me because I grew up as a low income students and will be working in a low income community. As we learned in chapter one students from low income backgrounds are often less exposed to technological advances. Not only will I prepare my students to become 21^st century learners but I will also have to combat this technological gap. I can teach my students the technical knowledge I lacked in order to make their transition to college and later society a smoother one than mine.

In summation, the iGeneration grew up with technology as a part of their lives, and as a teacher I need to know the best way to reach the students. I look forward to learning from both this author and class how to best achieve this goal and incorporating technology to my classroom. I have already been exposed to a plethora of ideas just in the first chapter, so I can only imagine how much I have to gain from this course. 

Resources: 

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.    

"How To Choose A Tablet For Your Kids - Sell My Mobile Blog." Sell My Mobile Blog RSS. 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 4 Sept. 2015.

"Technology and Education." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 4 Sept. 2015.

"Games That Make Learning Fun." Sumdog -. Web. 4 Sept. 2015.