What I find most intriguing about critical digital pedagogy is that it really focuses on engaging students through technology tools that are purposeful, rather than using technology as an added “extra.” Stommel notes that oftentimes, “ed tech starts with tools, when what we need to start with is humans,” which I found really powerful because it is our job as teachers to help our students grow. We cannot achieve growth without keeping in mind the needs of our students and where they may benefit most. Technology should enhance the opportunities that we are already trying to create for our students, rather than being the basis of our lessons.

I really enjoy using technology in the classroom and want to see my students become more technologically literate when researching, using basic tools, creating, etc. Sometimes, I feel guilty when I do not find ways of incorporating technology or when some of my trials end poorly. I think this article really allows me to consider that I should be capitalizing on how technology can uplift my students and take them a step further in their learning, rather than submitting to my compulsion to use all the new tools I find without first thinking through their purpose. 

As I read about what constitutes critical pedagogy, I was simultaneously discouraged and hopeful. Discouraged because the description of a class community where students are interested in eachother and in their differences is not one that I have. While it is a norm to listen to one another and not talk over a speaker, this is not from a sense of genuine interest but more a classroom management protocol. Additionally, the notion that learning and teaching should not value efficiency is in direct opposition to the philosophy of my school administration. My school site has heavily focused on increasing the rigor in our classroom so that our SBAC scores improve. Hence, this perhaps explains why in my classroom outcomes are valued over epiphanies. On the other side, the description of the problem posing education was encouraging. A classroom where students are readily posing questions and the process of learning is ongoing and recursive is one that is aligned to the pedagogy behind the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that I teach and the Ambitious Science Teaching (AST) practices that my curriculum coach encourages me to utilize in my lessons. This is probably the most applicable aspect of critical digital pedagogy for my own practice. That is, a commitment towards highlighting cognition over information, empowering my students to be full agents of their learning by creating lessons that build the skills that make it possible for them to do so.