My 3 most influential communication technologies are:
1. Cell Phone
2. Email
3. Skype
In the video regarding Olivia, she came across as a technologically savvy 17 year-old-girl. This doesn't come as much of a surprise in today's society, however Olivia's socio-economic status has proven a hindrance to her learning/interacting with technology. She does not always have access to a computer (there is one in her building with limited hours of accessibility) and can go to other places - such as the Apple Store - to take photos of herself and put them on her MySpace page. She admitted to constantly being on her cell phone - a way to check her MySpace and communicate with friends and family. Remarkably, Olivia is mainly self-taught in regards to learning all of the technologies she uses on a daily basis. Her love of social media is a continuing trend among young adults - the easier way to communicate the better. Olivia reacts like any other 17 year-old reacts to technology, regardless of her socio-economic status.
As a future teacher, I will have to be mindful of my students and understand that not all students in my classroom will have the means to access computers on a regular basis. In planning lessons I will have to either utilize my school's resources in order for students to complete assigned tasks or figure out some other way for the assignments to be completed.
In the video "Learning to Change, Changing to Learn" the children all expressed their ideas of what technology means to them. In regards to learning, they use technology to type papers, do research, communicate with friends and teachers, to create projects - videos or movies - design art projects and other digital medias, one girl even learned Japanese using her computer.
The way in which I learn new information has been streamlined greatly by the aid of my iPhone. I have the internet, email, music, newspapers, search sites, etc. at my fingertips. I never have to leave my apartment in order to learn anything - which has aided in my access to information, but boosted my laziness of experiencing moments for myself.
Like Olivia and the kids in the "Learning to Change, Changing to Learn" video, I am always hooked to my social media sites - Twitter and Facebook especially. I use my computer for communication - Skype being the best way to talk to people far away. My cell phone is attached to my person as well, it rarely if ever is beyond visibility and it is used as an alarm clock, an iPod, a mode of various communication - phone, email, skype - and for taking pictures and typing documents.
Hi Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI seem to always be distracted by my technology as well. That is one of the things that as a teacher, I need to overcome. I sat here wondering: I need to allow my students to use technology at school, but how do I make sure that they stay on task? I know that with today's technology there are so many advances that any website can be created to bypass a school's security system.
Do you feel that your iPhone has monopolized your technologies? I feel like with the use of my blackberry, I seldom use my iPod, or even my laptop. Can you explain more what you mean by boosting your laziness? If it's anything like what I'm thinking, then my blackberry has become a portable world of information. With this in mind, we have to remember that our students will be used to instant gratification--the instant access of technology. We have to remind them, and show them how to do the process of research, writing, etc. thoroughly.
Hi Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your observations about Olivia, as well as your need to keep mindful of students' resources outside of the classroom. I would say that all teachers must be aware of their students resources because for a student like Olivia who is not as technologically savvy do to their socio-economic status, assignments like making videos, writing a typed paper or a creative internet based assignment (i.e. create a facebook page for a character in the book we're reading) could cause a lot of stress for the student or become impossible to do.
How would you curve assignments for students who were not tech savvy? Would you curve the assignments or create supplemental assignments? Do you see more value in trying to make students tech savvy - perhaps teaching them how to be as resourceful Olivia?
Lizz,
DeleteI definitely see the value in trying to make students technologically savvy - it is the way education is heading and I think that regardless of socioeconomic status, students need to be mindful of the technological resources out there.
In regards to curving assignments for students, I would try to make sure there is adequate in class time for such computer related work, group work - pairing students with tech savvy with students who are unsure/not as comfortable with technology.
Hello Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI think that being mindful of what is and what is not available to our students on an everyday basis is extremely important when we become teachers. I also think that we need to be mindful of their abilities. I know that I myself am not one of the most technologically savvy person, and therefore I become nervous or resistant to projects or assignments that require technology that I am unfamiliar with. I think that teaching our students to not be afraid of technology and to experiment will be important as well. I wonder how, as future teachers, we are going to be able to not only help teach students how to be savvy, but also find resources and different options for the students that do not have the same kind of technology access as others.
You're a child of the 90s, and you're scared of technology?! What happened?
DeleteOne of the first major purchases my mom made when I entered kindergarten was a Mac desktop computer. (Of course, I was only allowed to use it when supervised, and the internet was a foreign concept to me at that point.)
It wasn't a big focus in my family, computers didn't enter my home until about 3rd grade for me, and the internet was something I was introduced to in computers class in 4th grade.
DeleteMy parents didn't see the need for computers/internet at home until I entered middle school because they believed it was dangerous and a waste of time, therefore I was pretty behind in the learning curve of the internet.
Shelby, your references to the students in the video are incisive. It's also interesting that most students are choosing recent technologies as more influential than books, TV or other technologies they used in their youth (a crucial developmental stage). Since the guidelines targeted your blogpost for 750 words, you could have used the remaining 300+ words to explore more deeply the possible negative influences of your chosen technologies. I did not see much reflection in that particular area.
ReplyDeleteShelby,
ReplyDeleteYou mention in your post that you utilize your iPhone to acquire, access, and learn new information. Seeing as this technology has been particularly beneficial as well as prevalent in your life, do you feel that it could assist your students in the classroom setting? Would you ever consider incorporating the use of cellular devices for a project or assignment to facilitate student learning or do you feel that this would be ineffective?