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Interestingly enough, I found an article which really sparked my interest. More and more, students have become more obsessed and utilizing technology more often than not. The article I was reading was about digital citizenship. The title of the article is "Digital Citizenship in the Curriculum." I found this extremely interesting and I wanted to share it with everyone. I found it this article to be a little more hard to understand, but bare with me, the main points and ideas in the piece are very pressing in today's society.

First I want to point out the main three factors in this article. The first factor is that their are going to be three types of digital citizens

1. Personally responsible citizens
2. Participatory citizens
3. Justice oriented citizens

All three of these types of citizens make up the digital realm. Teaching students and making the students aware of what type of citizen they are is important in students being more reflective in general. Allowing the students to see what type of student they are demonstrates their values and beliefs. Once a student is aware of what type of citizen they are, then the teacher can start to mold the students into people who can handle social media correctly and make sure everything turns out alright as well.

The second factor is that our student more often than not are getting their information online. No longer are newspapers and television an main source of media for the next generation of students. Because of these fact, teachers need to teach students to be safe on the internet. Not only from predators and people who are threats to the students, but also to news which is fake or extremely biased. Students need to be able to analysis and critically think for themselves in order to even survive in a world of click bait and fake news.

The final factor implemented in the article was that teachers really need to be aware of the pressing issue of social media and the students' digital citizenship. Teachers need to start showing and focusing on being responsible and teaching student to use their platforms correctly. In their regular life, the students need to be informed and aware of the issues at hand. This is the same idea in the realm of social media. Both aspects are important and need to be addressed in the classroom. No longer is this an issue which can be suppressed in the time and age we are living in today.

Now I want to focus on the two sides of the article, the pros and the cons. Let us start off on a positive note. The pro side is suggestion that every student has the opportunity to be socially responsible in their digital realm. Students, with the help of their teachers, are empowered to use technology for the great good if given the correct tools and resources. This gives all students the power to think for themselves and also navigate life in social media to make the most of it. Our students are always changing and teaching them the use the correct tools and being socially responsible is something which all teachers can do.

After this, there has to be a discussion about the negative side of this article. This is the idea that students will never be able to become socially responsible for their actions on social media. This is the idea that students are not caring or taking things way too far. Being reckless and absent-minded are also traits which can be presence in this side. When students are not prepared for the world of technology and using it in the most responsible way, then many bad things can happen. Being misinformed and under informed are all things which and be a result of the negative side to the article.

To wrap everything up, what does a digital citizenship look like in my classroom? What are ways that I want to use technology for the benefit in my classroom? How do I teach my student that they need to be responsible about what they post on social media? These are both pressing questions which I have. From my years of being in school, I am so used to not being allowed to openly use my phone in class. In turn, this means the idea of social media and teaching me how to use it correctly was never really present. I want to be able to suit the needs of my students, but where is the line that they should not cross? I do not want any gray areas in my classroom and I do not want my students to feel like they do not have any power at all either. It is important in my classroom to be able to have my students express their opinions openly about this issue of technology and their voice on social media.

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When it comes to technology, it can be used in any way in the classroom. From assignments to helping a student with a learning disability, there are so many different ways technology can be used in the classroom. I was reading this article the other day called "Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities" and this really demonstrated all the different ways student can use technology for the greater good in their learning.

The author of this article had many good main points, I will focus on three of them. The first point which really made sense to me is that not all assistive technology is high tech. In the article it talks about simple things which many people take for granted being this type of technology. Things like notepads and pencil grips can be a form of this type of technology. It is important to realize and understand that assistive technology does not have to be expensive and difficult to use.

The second point which really stood out to me was that more teachers need to realize and be able to use these different types of technologies. Whether it be the notepad or a software system, teachers should have professional training which demonstrates and allows teachers to see the uses for the technology and also how to apply this new knowledge to the classroom. Overall, teachers need to have the knowledge to equip and provide this assistive technology to their students who need it.

The final point which really made an impact on me is there are two reasons assistive technology is used in the classroom. To quote from the article, "Assistive technology helps in two ways: it can help the student learn how to complete the task and it can help to bypass an area of difficulty. " I am sure students with learning disabilities already have enough on their plate. Making these students to do work they think they are not capable of doing without this type of technology just seems inhumane to me. Giving my students the ability to learn how to complete a task and doing it on an easier level seems like a good thing for all the different aspect of a student's life. As a teacher, I want my students to love school and being in my classroom, forcing them to suffer without this technology just does not settle in my heart very well.

Now onto the pros and the cons of this article. The pro is going to be the easiest to get out of the way, so I will discuss this first. If the article is about allowing students to use assistive technology and they are on learning disabilities, it is good to have them use it. Although, there might be a concern of overusing it and depending on the resource too much. The negative side is that first, the students might not have access to the tool and second that the student might rely too much on the tools which is given to them. When a student does this, the student might not try their best and really push things off because they have it "easier" from the other students in the classroom.

On the flip side, the pro idea of being able to enhance and strengthen a student's learning. It is extremely important to have a child be able to success and really thrive in the classroom, especially with a learning disability. Students should feel confident and prepared for classes, no matter if they are a typical student or not. Assistive technology is extremely beneficial to all the students who use it and through these resources the student is being empowered and motivated.

Finally, I just want to reflect on all I have read. The question I have is that should students be able to use whatever technology they want in the classroom? I mean this in a way that should my students with learning disabilities pick and choose what they want to use, within reason of course, or should I be the one who decides what is okay and not okay. I know that it is important for the student to be active and fully participate in their learning, but to what extent do I need to intervene and say what is right and wrong in the classroom. This question is one which is really pressed on my mind at the moment.

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Once again, I have stumbled upon an article which I would like to share. This article is called "Technology Can Make Students More Intellectual." The basis of this article is about how students can become smarter through the use of technology. At the start of the article is asks a question. Essentially, why do we take away resources from students when they are taking a test? In today's society, students are constantly using their phones and their computers. In a changing world, this is definitely okay because of the culture of today's society. Now what does this mean for the classroom?

First and foremost, there are three key points which I would like to bring to the surface.

The first key point is the just in case knowledge vs. just in time learning. The first idea is that teachers and educators start teaching students facts. Things in which they will never use in reality. Learning just in time is doing the research for the project or task at hand. The second type of learning is more useful and beneficial for the student because it allows the student to adapt and learn to be flexible for their future, both in school and in the workforce.

The second key point is that students have the ability to build a portfolio for themselves without even knowing it. With the use of computers and platforms like Google Docs and OneDrive can save so many documents and keep them, basically forever. In my opinion, this is such a good tool to use for students. It allows the students to look back at their own work, making copies where they can edit the new document, and then reflect on the good and the bad of their old work. This way, students can start reflecting on their own work at an early age and understand how important progress on the self is important, both in social and work life.

The final key point is that students can spark their own interests. If the student is interested in something I am not even knowledgeable about, let them do their own research! Allowing students to explore their own passions and possibly their career is a great thing for a parent or an educator to do. Letting students develop a sense of their own sense and their preferences will really help them in the future when their employer, a significant other’s parent, or someone on the street says, “What do you like to do for fun?”

Next, I want to discuss the two sides of this article. The pro technology and the con technology.

First the pro technology. Technology is such a wonderful thing. In the blink of an eye, students can find any type of information which they would ever need. In a world that is ever changing, this is a good thing. Students can focus on the information which they need to know in their eyes, instead of just accumulating facts and figures. The use of technology in the classroom really allows students to work more student centered, coming up with their own information. Thus making the classroom an inclusive experience for the learner and the teacher.

Now, the con side. Even in the article, it talks about the negative side. Straight from the piece it stated, "some fear that technology integration will have students learning the latest trends and techniques instead of studying the classics and deep disciplinary knowledge." I think this is a very closed-minded idea of what technology can do. This is a valid side though. If students get caught up in the internet and social media, there can be many negative effects.  Students need to have that balance of physically being in the classroom and spending that time online and plugged into technology.

Although, I have question hanging over my head. What is the future classroom going to look like? This is a question which I ponder more often than not. I want to make sure my students are well prepared for the world and have all the skills they need to function in this ever changing world. My fear is that I will be too strict with technology or I will limit my students too much from what they actually need. In the end, I want to be able for my students to change and adapt for their future, whatever that means or looks like for them. I just want to utilize the students ability to be intelligent and have them understand just what they will need to be able to do in the "real world."

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I discovered an article when I was just browsing the other day about students and technology. The title of the article is "Understanding Digital Kids 2: Strategies Engaging the Digital Generation." This talked about students who are digital natives, which we have already discussed, and how it affects the students; how they learn, their attention span, and many other things inside of the classroom. This really caught my attention. I thought this would be a good topic now to explore and explain my thoughts and feelings on it.

The first thing which really caught my attention is when the article discussed was about getting immersed in the culture of the digital generation. From a teacher's perspective, I think this idea is a good one. Teachers should understand what kind of social media and web or app platforms are out there. Learning the concept of the newest trend of a website or an app can help engage the learners who are interested in the said platform. Once a teacher understands how to use things like pinterest, facebook, instagram, etc. it can be incorporated into the classroom and used for the benefit.

Another idea the article discussed is about how the student is understanding the material and being able to retain what the student is learning. In the article, it gives a pyramid of ways for students to retain information. The piece stated that,

"about 90% that involves the teaching of a concept to others as well as the immediate application of the learning within the context of a real time, real world task or a simulation of that task "

This means for the educator, we should be trying to have assignments and projects which matter in the real world. Tasks in the classroom should be useful and innovative, not just another pesky worksheet.

The final point which I really changed my perspective is that teachers should always be flexible and working with their students. If something I am doing is not working in the classroom or with a student, change it! Changing is a form of growing and understanding the way it used to be will not always be the same. A good teacher is one that sees a problem in him or herself and fixes it.

The two sides of the article are the progressive idea and then the more conservative ideas. The progressive side is completely agreeing with the article, saying that teachers should use technology and that only because this is what the future is going to be like. I think this is a valid point but students need to be fluent in both the cultures, the old and the new. Then there is the conservative side. This side is disagreeing with the article, saying that technology is a negative thing, students should not be encouraged to use these types of ideas in the classroom. I see a point where this can be true as well. If the teacher is trying their very best at engaging their students, there might need to be some cut back on the technology. Both sides have true elements, but in the end, the mix of the two cultures is important in student growth and learning.

To finish everything off, I still have some troubling thoughts. Although, there is one big question I have. How does this shape the mind of a student? Does it allow the student to be more flexible or are the teachers of today just teaching through different mediums which the students already understand? What makes pen and paper so bad and something which should be totally excluded from the classroom. I think the article makes very good points, but I am not sure all of them are going to work in the language classroom. I believe that a mix of different medias (paper, online, apps, websites, etc.) are important especially in the language classroom, but I do not believe that the whole class should be a digital process.

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The other day, I was reading an article about technology and education today.  This was a very interesting and intriguing article. The title, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” by Marc Prensky, which deals with the idea of our educators today and the students in their classrooms have a language barrier, technology. The majority of the article was about how teachers and professors are not proficient enough in technology which is available to us and understandable by the students that they are teaching.

In this piece, there are a whole bunch of good points which I would like to share. The first one which I think everyone should hear is that students are learning very different today than they ever have. The students have grown up on TV shows and computer games, their way of gaining knowledge. When teaching in a classroom, the way a student has grown up is vital to having an effective classroom strategy.

Then the article goes on to talk about how many teachers are not trying to learn and understand how these students are learning and understanding. Teachers teach how they were taught to teach. They do not want to reach out, be creative, and engage the students in the ways the teacher has never before. These people might be set in their ways and not wanting to change their ways but this has a large consequence. Students’ minds are not utilized in the way that their minds are now wired. Because of all this, teachers are not helping, but really, they are hurting.

Finally, what I think is most important which I would love to pull from this article is that no matter the content or subject, students have the ability to understand, comprehend, and utilize; it just depends on how the material is presented. If presented in a relevant manner, anything is possible to learn, whether or not the student takes interest in the material. Presentation is key. Without having good presentation and making the subject come alive, even if that is through a video game or a computer program, students can learn and retain.

The is a positive side to these ideas and there is also a negative side. The positive side of this is that now teachers can understand what they need to do. This article opens up the eyes to the reader, now being able to address the problem which has been pushed down and kept quiet in the classroom. My favorite quote from the article in the last little piece, which sums up the whole idea.

“So if Digital Immigrant educators really want to reach Digital Natives – i.e. all their students – they will have to change. It’s high time for them to stop their grousing, and as the Nike motto of the Digital Native generation says, “Just do it!”

There is also a negative side to the whole idea of transferring all the materials and curriculum to the technology side. There will still be materials and lessons which need to be taught outside of the computers and phones. Using these tools all the time could have a negative affect on the students. Not all students across the board are going to have the same elements as others. Some students might not have a computer or even a phone in their entire home setting. Then, contrasting, a student at home could be drowning in technology and luxuries. How then am I supposed to reach both without boring either.

After reading through this article, I still have some questions and concerns. As I grew up in the generation between all of this, I am pretty much a Digital Native who knows how to teach as a Digital Immigrant. Is this idea of always formatting materials and lessons in the form of technology good for the students? Are there going to be student who want to do everything with their computer or phone? Are there students who are going to want to use materials other than technology? In a teacher’s perspective, this is both concerning and joyous. There are so many resources which can be utilized with the wonderful technology today. On the other hand, learning things in reading and writing are also valid ways which students can both learn and have a good time doing it as well. With this said, there is really only one option to choose; jump on the digital bandwagon or have extremely ineffective teaching.