1. "The digital generation" kind of defines the generation that I was born into. I grew up in a time where video games had just recently come into existence. I have lived through the beginning of the commercial use of cell phones and the Internet. It's odd to think about to be honest. All of these things have been around for as long as I can remember but I hear my parents and grandparents talk about a time when they had none of these things. For me it's hard to imagine what life would be like without cell phones and iPods and laptops and online college classes. I never go anywhere without my cell phone, iPod and headphones and I'm actually listening to music while I write this post. If that does not define "digital generation" then I don't know what does.
2. These portraits remind me a lot of myself, my friends and some K-12 students that I know, they are just more involved with technology at a much younger age. I came up in an age where technology was evolving very quickly and I did not always have exclusive access to the internet or even a computer. Now I see children that are in 3rd grade running around with iPhones and it blows my mind, but I also understand that is just a part of how their generation is.
3. I think that there are many ways that technology can be used to benefit today's youth, but at the same time I think that, at times, we put far too much of an emphasis on it. I still think that parents and teachers need to encourage children to go outside and play with each other. I have seen, firsthand, how beneficial the use of videos and technology can be for students and I would never want to take that away from my students, but they can also learn and develop without the use of technology.
4. I would define 21st century tools as any type of technology that can be used for the benefit of a child's education. I have seen a third grade teacher use a camera connected to a projector to allow the students to watch her write so that they could learn cursive. I though that this was a very good way for students to observe and learn. She also used videos for break time. It is no secret that young elementary students get distracted easily and need a break from a teacher lecturing, so some educational songs that got the students up and singing and dancing really helped them get out a lot of extra energy.
It is my biggest fear that education will one day become too technoligized. I hope that day never comes, as too much of a good thing really is not a good things. Technology does benefit today's students in a much more tremendous fashion than a decade ago. I am absolutely in the same boat as you when I see 3rd graders with I-Pads and cell phones. I didn't have a cell phone until I was in middle school! Not to mention I never had a Facebook until my junior year of high school.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! Children need a little bit of both worlds whether it be lecturing and fun time using technology. Children are sometimes so caught up in technology, however, their social skills are not the best. I use my phone and Facebook all the time and realize how much I get caught up in it so I know how much worse it can get with children. This was a great post!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree about having a balance with technology. Similarly to Anthony, I was in middle school when I got my first phone, and still have the same old flip-phone. But that's what keeps me in the "stone" age, and from watching my friends become more efficient at simple tasks using smart-phones makes me believe that the idea of technology is grand, however the use of technology has run astray. Our generation needs to come up with a way to oversee technologies in school to only use beneficial technologies, like ones that keep students attention as you explained, and get rid of technologies that take away from a class.
ReplyDeleteI believe not only teachers, but parents fall into the trap you mention in #3 of relying too much on technology. So many children spend all of their free time playing video games or watching TV and don't play outside anymore. As a society we're starting to see the effects of that play out in Hollywood. No one has an original movie idea anymore. Everything that comes out is a slight twist on an overdone plot or a remake of an older movie. Even before the "digital generation," children were being spoon-fed their entertainment eliminating the opportunity for them to use their imaginations. I think that technology can be a very valuable tool for facilitating the creativity of students, but we have to be careful to not use it as a crutch.
ReplyDeleteJourdan,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, you have a very unique way of spelling your name and I really like it! Anyways, I have to agree with you that technology is important but we definitely need not to be a huge light on it and make it to where students can't see that there are other ways of learning and they can be fun too. I think students sometimes even lose social skills along the way because they are to busy stuck inside playing video games or are just doing an activity that involves only one person. I still emphasizes in my classes the use of things like board games and group activities where students have to socialize and work together to solve a problem or win a game. But things like the Ipad are a really good resource to use when testing a child's reading level and tracking their progress in the other key areas that they should be growing in throughout the school year. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on technology and like that you seem to have a happy medium with the use of it in a classroom.