Prof. Dubusky 

Educational Technology

12 September 2018

Blog #1

            I came across an article the other day called “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants”, by Marc Prensky, and it really caught my attention. We live in a very diverse world, where not everyone sees eye to. eye. One key point that really stood out to me was based on the future. The future that lies ahead of us is forever changing. It is obvious that the technology that we use is going to continue to progress and expand. What we do not realize is that the little things around us, such as politics and different languages, are also continuing to change and grow like technology. Every day we wake up and go about our day focusing on the world around us. Which leads to the second key point that stood out to me, the amount of time we waste without realizing that we even wasted it. Prensky states that “Today’s average college grads have spent less than 5,000 hours of their lives reading, but over 10,000 hours playing video games (not to mention 20,000 hours watching TV). Computer games, email, the Internet, cell phones and instant messaging are integral parts of their lives” (Prensky, page 1). Before technology all we had were books and our friends to play outside with, but today it is rare to see either of these things happening through students like us. It is sad that today being educated on all technology is considered a skill. While technology is helpful in many ways, it also can be a huge distraction. This leads to a con I see in this article. If the digital immigrants want to become education on all technology, then the students and the environment around us are going to be forced to change for the future. Being addicted to technology makes you feel as though you need a reward for everything you do, which is not the case. On the other hand, learning what it feels like to be a digital immigrant and feeling what it’s like to not be, is a way for our world to come together and grow as one. One question this article makes me think of is how are we going to encourage others to push themselves? Push the digital immigrants to work hard to understand technology, and the digital natives to go out of their way to help others who do not quite understand. 

 

Prof. Dubusky 

Educational Technology

17 October 2018

Blog #2

            I read an article the other day that really caught my attention, called “Understanding Digital Kids II”, as a part of the 21^st Century Fluency Series. The schools around us are all very diverse and all have their own opinions on how we should teach our students today, which is fine but causes many arguments. As teachers and adults, it is our job to prepare these young students for the future. As Mike Josiah says, “Anyone who knows anything about learning knows that the secret to success in the classroom is not about being a good disciplinarian but has everything to do with engagement and motivation. It’s not just about getting them to learn, it’s about getting them to WANT to learn” (page 4). This is where games, in class group work, and fun projects come into play. If we cannot motivate our students to do well then, they will not care to try. Cell phones, iPad, computers, and more technology devices have replaced going outside with friends and spending times with family, but does it always have to be a negative? We can allow students to have access to their electronics to interest them on their school work. Their homework, projects, and communication towards others will be through their own devices to keep them up to date. As a teacher, giving this privilege will allow more discipline towards them. This can cause conflict between teachers, students, and you! This causes many people to blame others and rely on others to put in the responsibility of teaching the whole mind. “This is a great challenge because in typical classroom instruction the primary focus is on memorization and traditional reports and tests. As students’ progress through the system it’s assumed they will pick up critical thinking skills. The problem is that everyone thinks it’s someone else’s job” (page 5).  We have to be willing to put in the work of helping those around us in the best and most productive way. Allowing cell phones in the classroom with help with motivation but there must be strict rules that come with that privilege. On the other hand, this article makes me question where to draw the line? If we allow this freedom, we must draw a line somewhere. 

 

 

 

Prof. Dubusky 

Educational Technology

29 October 2018

Blog #3

            I had the privilege to come across a great article the other day, called “Technology Can Make Students More Intellectual, by Christina Yu. It was an amazing article that really made you think about our school systems today. Almost all of us can agree that students should be able to think independently and be able to make decisions on their own. This is a big task that students should be able to develop before becoming adults and living in the world on their own. This is why “When tests are given, students are generally not permitted to use outside resources. We test to make sure students are indeed accumulating and retaining knowledge as they progress from grade to grade (Page 1). If students are able to comprehend work and do well on their tests individually, then they will be prepared for the outside world. After they are preparing to act as individuals their reading, writing, and researching scores will rise tremendously. “Gone will be the days when students feel like work is arbitrary and there is no continuity from year to year” (Page 2). Students will no longer have to turn to you, as parents or guardians, to make their decisions or help with their homework. They are in the process of being very independent. In this process, schools are adding and adaptive learning engine to motivate the students in a better way. This will be through the computer and through different forms of technology. Showing students this new form of learning and giving them rewards following will cause a show in the improvement of their work. Students will be more motivated to do better in school. “The faster students see their efforts pay off, the more invested they will be in schoolwork” (Page 3). We will see a huge change in the student’s grades, as well as their personalities. We will be keeping the students up to date on new information and new technology as we increase their learning averments but at the same time sticking with the original classroom through the old deep knowledge that is taught on an everyday basis. The only question that runs through my head is how are we going to combine both the new trends and technology with the original past information that the students should be educated on? This will be a big test for schools and the teachers working inside them. 

Prof. Dubusky

Educational Technology

12 November 2018

Blog #4

            The other day in my classroom, I came across an article that really stood out to me. The title is “Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities”, by Gabrielle Young. Gabrielle Young is and assistant professor who has earned his PH.D. When I started reading this article it really caught my attention the way that he talks about all of the options that come up when you talk about assistive technology. One thing that Gabrielle Young said as “All assistive technology devices range from high to low tech” (Page 1). For example, every student that has a disability has their own form of that certain disability. Every child reacts differently to their weaknesses, which means that there are different tools to help each student. Some students may need to use the computer, laptop, or iPad, being for high tech. Other students may only need pencil and a piece of paper. There are also students who are in-between. This may need a magnifier or a braille machine. Something else that stood out to me was that assistive devices can be uses in two different ways. The first way is to support learning, and the second way is to bypass a challenging task. No matter which way the child may need support that day, they are both meant to help them work on their disabilities in the classroom. The third point that stood out to me when reading this article was when it states, “In order to be effective, assistive technology needs to be embedded within quality instruction” (Page 1). If you are a parent, you are probably wondering what exactly this statement means. It means that in order for the assistive technology device to work for the students, it must be qualified to help a certain area. Assistive technology is an amazing access that we have today, but it can be very expensive for the schools to provide all the necessary devices. This makes me question, what do teachers do if the school cannot provide the wanted device for their student? This is a question that I feel would have varied answers based on that certain situation.

Prof. Dubusky

Educational Technology

12 November 2018

Blog #5

            The other day I had the privilege to come across an amazing article. This article was called “Digital Citizenship in the Curriculum”, by Daniel G. Krutka and Jeffery P. Carpenter. Something that really stood out to me in this article was when Krutka and Carpenter explain that citizenship is now digital. The authors state “During the 2016 U.S elections, social media did not just spread news, it became the news” (Page 2). They are explaining to us, as their community people, that social media is more than just a way to spread the news. Social media is what has created today’s society. Another awesome point made by these authors was teaching students about social media offers a new approach to help them grow as digital citizens. Krutka and Carpenter really want us to know, as readers, that we all need to be aware of what social media is. By understanding the pros and cons of all social media we will understand how our society is working and why they are working in this way. A third point that really stood out to the readers was when the authors were talking about the different types of digital citizens. There are Justice-Oriented, Participatory, and many more. The authors explaining the diff4erent types of digital citizens, is explaining that there are many different opinions of social media and social media shapes everyone differently. The article really shows the importance of being educated on social media and the importance on understanding how social media effects the world and community around them. This article struggles with giving me details on which social media types effect our community more and why. This article leaves me with the question, “What would our world be like if social media was not a part of it?”