When reading the first chapter of our text about becoming a 21st century teacher, some of the statistics really jumped out at me. As a mother of three, I understand that children today are living in a “digital childhood” (Maloy, Verock-O’Laughlin, Edwards, Woolfe, 2014). Often I see my teenager dividing his attention between playing a video game and watching YouTube videos on his phone simultaneously. Even so, the statistics that the text, “Transforming Learning with New Technologies” supplied regarding the number of hours per day that children spend engaged in digital media were shocking, claiming that young people spend almost every waking moment outside of school using electronic equipment. As a teacher, it will be essential to harness the natural inclination of my students towards digital learning. Having a positive attitude towards technology and a willingness to integrate it into classroom lessons will provide opportunities for my students to experience learning that they relate to, thus solidifying the lessons. Also, having a solid command of technology will create more credibility for me with my students.
I was also struck by how the use of technology could transform ordinary lesson plans into interactive, inquiry based learning opportunities. By harnessing Web 2.0 tools such as wikis, social media sites, social bookmarking, and blogs, students can be given the opportunity not only to learn and understand a concept, but to also actually create projects that support the lessons. This hands on experience provides critical thinking challenges, group collaboration opportunities, as well as media skills that students will need in real life. This type of inquiry based learning matches my student centered teaching philosophy perfectly. Learning is so much more productive - and FUN - when it is real world applicable, interactive, and relevant.
Another concept that the chapter stirred in me was the idea of creating a digital identity for myself as an educator. In a competitive job market, it is extremely important to be able to showcase skills and abilities. Since 21st century skills are something that schools are aiming to produce in students, it is logical that administrators would want to hire teachers savvy in these skills. Some of the ways that the chapter listed as possibilities for creating a digital identity were social networking sites, blogs, image sharing, email, web pages, video sharing, and digital portfolios. The use of these platforms establishes the knowledge base of the teacher, allows for comfort with technology and assures ease of use, and creates an example for students reflecting a positive outlook on technology that encourages participation. Building this identity along my journey to graduation will help me step into my career confident that I can utilize technology to the fullest extent to challenge and support my students.
Wahoo - congratulations on your blog and post! :) You are making that first step in creating your own purposeful digital footprint.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your reflections. One particularly resonated with me - that of using technology to transform learning. Of course, that is the basis for this class and I am immersed in it, but I truly believe that we will find the benefits of inquiry based learning as a springboard to create lifelong learners and a democratic citizenry. There has been so much focus on standardized testing in recent years and little thought of how constructivism and discovery learning can really spiral our country/world with innovation. I hope you continue to find ways to bring that to the forefront of your learning. Reflection is just as much a key factor to deepening understanding and we often don't allow much time for that as well.
I'm pleased that you tried a photo for your first post - impressive in that it is Creative Commons licensed (i.e., copyright 'friendly') as well as hyperlinked with credit. The only thing you will need to do for the future is to hyperlink to the original source on the web. For example, if you click "Flickr" now, you will get a copy of the photo, but nowhere to document the identification of the photographer, etc - and thus don't give true attribution. Through a little sleuthing, I was able to find the original URL: https://www.flickr.com/photos/masseoe/8167752920/ which is where you want to hyperlink. That way readers who might want more information about the photo (or to use themselves) can find it easily and you will give proper attribution to the photographer. This is a great lesson to teach to students, as well! :) And, since you referenced the textbook, you would want to put the textbook as a reference at the end with APA style formatting.
Overall, great job!