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Hello Parents and Students,

This is my first blog of the year and I am very excited to share with you what I have been reading about!

There are three main points of the article Digital Native, Digital Immigrants. The first being the topic of singularity. This is an event at which changes things so fundamentally that there is absolutely no going back. Singularity is the arrival and dissemination of digital technology in the last decades of the 20th century. The second key point of this article would be the contrast between Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. The students now days are referred to as Digital Natives. They are all "native speakers" of the digital language of computers, video games and the internet. On the other hand, Digital Immigrants are those who were not born into technology but have adapted it and became for familiar with it throughout their lives. For Digital Natives technology is like second nature to them. They know it like the back of their hand. Digital Immigrants still carry a little bit of the old technology with them and sometimes struggle to shake off their "accent". Lastly, legacy vs. future will be the last main point of the article. Legacy refers to the "traditional" curriculum. Examples would be reading, writing, arithmetic, etc. The future concept is digital and technological. The future concept includes things such as ethics, politics, languages, etc. There is a high need for educators that can teach both Legacy and Future content.

There are pros and cons to this. Although technology is the new way of teaching and can be really beneficial to students if we focus too highly on educating teachers to be technology savvy we may loose some of the capability to teach the traditional curriculum. When educating teachers there needs to be a high focus in balance. How to tie in technology to the old curriculum instead of completely focusing on technology and forgetting about the old curriculum. There are also some contrasting views in this article. Some believe that students are not able to learn while watching TV or listening to music. This is highly debated between adults and students. Students think that they are able t double task and do both while adults believe it is taking away from their learning. My thoughts of this land in the middle. I see both sides. I feel that there is a time that you are able to listen to music while working on certain things but others require a higher focus and double tasking is not beneficial and could hurt your ability to focus on what you are doing.

A question to think about would be: What actions are going to be taken to teach Digital Immigrants how to teach Digital Natives in a more efficient way that it is more productive?

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Hello parents and students,

This is my second blog of the year and I am very excited to share with you about the article I recently read. It is a lot like the other article I shared with you, but it shares some new ideas. Let's jump right in!

There were three main points or ideas that I took from the article. First, teachers need to catch up on today's technology of the 21st century and teach to the whole mind of the student. This basically means that today's educators need to become more involved with the technology our children are using today and become more “tech savvy”. Us teachers need to familiarize ourselves with the digital tools our students are using on a day to day basis. Involving digital skills in the classroom will better prepare the students for their future jobs and lives. Second, we need to allow students to collaborate and create real world digital products. Instead of banning digital devices in our classrooms, they should be encouraged! Students can collaborate with each other on so many different levels by using technology. For example, using blogs or podcasts. If students are creating real world digital products, they will generate a real understanding of content and process. Lastly, us teachers need to use assessment and evaluation as more than a tool of measurement. It is so much more important that teachers use more guided and independent practice. This does not discipline the student when they get something wrong but encourages them to keep working at it.

I feel that there are so many more pros to this approach of teaching then there are cons. Students will want to learn and be involved in what they are doing at school instead of letting a lecture go in one ear and out the other. Yes, it will be something that teachers will have to adapt to and let go of some of their old ways, but in the end, it will be so worth it! We will start to see real improvement in our students and they will be so much more engaged. It will even better prepare them for their futures when they graduate and go off on their own to get a job. We do not need to completely abandon our old ways of teaching. We could easily combine the old ways with the new. We may really start to see a difference in our students.

How would your student like to use their knowledge of technology and apply it in the classroom?

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Hello again!

I have some exciting topics to talk to you about from my most recent reading, Technology Can Make Students More Intellectual. I feel that this information could be very beneficial to the classroom and your students! Let's jump in.

There are three big points to take way from this reading. First, students need to be able to think independently. If students can not apply what they are learning in the classroom without any resources, then us as educators are not doing our job. Students should be able to confidently produce their knowledge on an assessment independently. Second, there is no golden past. Some claim that the teaching of the past is far better than the teaching of the present. Also, it is claimed that students of the past were better educated and smarter than today's students. Now is the best time to be living if you are passionate about intellectual learning for your student. Lastly, the article focused on ways that technology makes our students more intellectual. Technology can bring intellectual products of human history to life. For example, history-based games. This could be very beneficial to the students who struggle to comprehend a history lecture. Reading, writing, and research will be enhanced using technology. New applications will make it possible to save and share articles and track work from over the years. Lastly, if students use a more adaptive learning engine, they will work more productively. If they can see their progress it will motivate them.

Some people have different views and opinions on whether technology can make students more intellectual. A topic covered in this article was called “just in case v. just in time”. People believe that school provides “just in case learning” while technology provides “just in time learning”. Some think that technology is not a good resource to be used in the classroom. These people believe that it overpowers the traditional liberal arts which are far more important in their eyes. On the other side of the argument are the people who believe technology is beneficial to the students. I personally believe technology is of good use in the classroom. The students are engaged and excited to learn when technology is involved, and I feel that is so important. The students will be much more productive when they want to do it.

Here is something to think on, are you willing to support and enforce technology-based learning in your home? If you buy into this idea and be positive about it, your student will follow.

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Hello parents and students!

This is my fourth blog of the year. I am excited to share with you about the most recent article I have read, “Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities”. Before we jump in, I would like to briefly define assistive technology and how it helps. Assistive technology is all about devices that make learning easily accessible for different students. It can help in two ways, it helps the student learn how to complete the task and skip the areas of difficulty.

There are three main points to this article. First, computer-assisted instruction. This type of instruction provides students with dynamic feedback. For example, when a student spells a word wrong it will tell them immediately instead of them moving along without knowing their spelling is incorrect. Also, it has been proven that computer-assisted instruction helps students with math drills. Students that practiced math on a device tended to memorize multiplication drills better and had a more positive attitude towards math than the students who did not use a device. Secondly, software functions. Text-to-speech and speech-to-text software has been very beneficial for some students. Text-to-speech helps students by highlighting important words throughout a passage for them which improves a students’ sight word vocabulary. Speech-to-text is beneficial for students who struggle with writing by hand. It helps those students focus on their ideas instead of the spelling. Lastly, mid-tech devices. Graphic organizers are beneficial to students who either have difficulty writing by hand or students who are visual learners. Pentop computers are beneficial for students with reading disabilities. Also, pentop computers are beneficial because they utilize instruction strategies. Lastly, calculators can be beneficial for students who struggle in mathematics. Graphing calculators, especially, can help students visually see graphs and different shapes.

An argument that is typically seen is whether assistive technology is beneficial or distracting. Some feel that assistive technology should not be used because it is distracting and gets the students off task, but others argue that it is very helpful and very beneficial o students with learning disabilities. I, personally, believe that assistive technology is very useful if you use it effectively. I feel that it is significantly less frustrating and restricting for students with learning disabilities to use assistive technology. They will be far more excited to learn and come to school if it does not feel so difficult.

Think about how we could use assistive technology with your student, if need be. Do you think it would be beneficial?

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Hello all! This is the final blog of the year. I recently read the article Digital Citizenship in the Curriculum and I am very excited to tell you guys all about it. Let’s get started!

This article focuses on whether teachers can support visions of citizenship or not by using social media in their classroom and their lessons. The kind of citizens the 21st century democracy requires is the first biggie in this article. A lot of times, schools talk about preparing their students to be citizens but do not display what this means. There are three types of citizenship represented in the education programs for democracy. First, personably responsible citizens who follow the laws and are informed voters. Second, participatory citizens who knows how the government works. Lastly, justice-oriented citizens who look for systematic changes and tackle injustice. The second biggie in this article would be on how to create personally responsible digital citizens. This part of the article focuses on how to teach students to be digitally responsible and tell a reliable source from an unreliable source. Also, educators should provide safe ways for citizens to engage in democratic dialogues online to increase participatory digital citizens. Lastly, to increase justice-oriented digital citizens, citizens must ensure that social media platforms are inclusive and not biased. The last biggie focuses on how we, as educators, can teach our students about digital citizenship. There are so many ways to let the students practice all these qualities in the classroom and I am very excited to use them.

There are two sides to this article when reading it. You can either agree and want your students to practice digital citizenship in the classroom, or you can disagree. I completely agree that students should practice these characteristics in the classroom as soon as possible, at different extents of course. It will better prepare them for their futures in the real world. They will have to be participate in being a citizen just like the rest of us one day. They will need to read about the presidential election coming up and be able to tell if the article is reliable or not. They will need to know what it’s like to voice their opinion but be open to other opinions. One day, they will be ready to vote for the first time. Us, educators and adults, can help prepare these young adults for their future of become a participative citizen.

At home, will you encourage and support your student in applying citizenship in their media life?