Students and teachers in today's society must work together to decide how to access and assess for accurate and useful information on the Internet. Prior to the digitization of learning, students would simply refer to a reference book for information or take out books to do research in the library; now, all they have to do is type in their topic in Google and their inquiry will be met by dozens of links to explore. It is due to this fact that information literacy must now be inclusively taught in our schools.
Nearly all classrooms and schools now have access to the Internet. These machines are used for information, gaming, and educational needs like reading from a very young age. Along with learning physically how to navigate on the computer, they must also learn how to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner, aka practicing digital citizenship. This, and many other aspects of teaching informational technology fluency have become the responsibilities of the educator. Students must learn how to conduct accurate, lucrative searches, evaluate their information, and translate the information they find into their own words so as to avoid plagiarism. They must also learn the signs of cyberbullying and how to defend themselves against it, a skill that may be among one of the most important.
In my opinion, teaching digital citizenship as well as information literacy is crucial for 21st century learners. These kids eat, sleep, and breathe technology, however, if left to their own devices, risk being exposed to negative content and subjecting themselves to cyberbullying and unnecessary trauma on social media and other related cites. Hiding behind a screen serves as a great confidence boost for people who are looking to say or do hurtful things to one another. All too often we hear of students posting negative things about other students or threatening to do so online. If these students are not taught how to behave with decency online, this epidemic of sorts will only get worse. It is our job as educators to do as much as we can to protect and arm our students with appropriate knowledge so that they may use the Internet for good while feeling safe and secure. Aside from digital citizenship and information literacy, there is much to be said for the many uses for technology in the classroom. Among other things, educational websites and applications foster a great deal of engagement and interest in the topics at hand. Digital content is a wonderful tool because it can be saved and edited to fit the needs of your specific students time and time again. Teachers now have the ability to bookmark websites that they find useful for access when applicable, and these resources may even be compiled into a webquests to be completed by students. The possibilities for curriculum enhancement are endless now. Personally, I think utilizing Smart Board technology is one of the most engaging things we can do in our classrooms right now. It is fully interactive and allows for students to become immersed in their learning. I also feel that by utilizing either a classroom blog or other similar resources, the teacher can get an accurate feel for who in the class is doing well and who may be struggling with a particular topic. Technology has become such an important part of the way we teach now that it has changed the face of education completely. I can't wait to see what kinds of advancements we'll have made by the time I am ready to retire decades from now!
Some questions I am left with after reflecting:
1. What kinds of websites do your students access most in schools aside from the obvious Google and the like?
2. Do you think there are any con's to being so heavily reliant on technology in the classroom? Is there a downside to the constant stimulation from computer programs?
3. What are some of the most useful online resources you have found yourself for teaching? what kind of information do they contain and for what age levels?
Similar to how you feel about the dangers of the Internet with zero restrictions and the significance of promoting digital citizenship, I feel that teachers have to help shape students into becoming proper citizens of not only the world around them, but also of the digital world. I have made my thoughts known to some of the parents of my students before, as the children have free access to roam on the Internet and search up whatever they want to on Google, and warned the parents to have apps available for their children that are age-appropriate and have parental restrictions on them.
ReplyDeleteResponses to Questions for Reflection:
1) In a technology class I observed, all the students accessed a website called "Studio Code," and they used the website to learn more about coding and creating video games.
2) There are definitely cons in being overly reliant on technology in the classroom, especially if the technology malfunctions. Furthermore, over stimulation to computer programs may create students' dissatisfaction with normal lessons without technology.
3) Some of the most useful online resources I have found myself for teaching were the websites for Common Core Standards and websites for digital copies of textbooks. Unfortunately, I have not actually taught in a school yet, so my online resources are very limited at the moment.
Some of the most useful online resources I have found myself using in my classroom is YouTube and Flocabulary. I am now student teaching and my students absolutely love Flocabulary. For those of you who do not know, Flocabulary is a website that turns teaching topics into raps and songs for the students to use as study aids. My children are constantly singing the songs and think it is such a privilege when I allow them to listen to it! Really it's helping me make them better students, but they don't need to know that!
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