Technology has made certain aspects of my life considerably more productive than before the advent of the smart phone. When I was in kindergarten and my dad was pursuing his Bachelor of Education, he would take me to the library at the University of Lethbridge to pull library index cards. At night, he would pull his Brother electronic typewriter on to the dining table and meticulously write research papers using stacks of paper books (along with a great deal of precision, time, and whiteout). In 2017, I am able to access enormous digital libraries with the touch of a button. I can use an app to create a works cited page in any format, and can review my work with peers or mentors instantaneously. I can take online classes, and have even taken a class via Skype following the birth of my twins.
Technology extends far beyond my postsecondary experience. My life feels incredibly busy, so it’s a relief when I can take my lunch hour to order groceries online, and have them ready for pickup after class. Technology has improved my life in measurable, calculable ways. I was able to lose a great deal of weight a few years ago by looking up new recipes online, and researching everything about health and wellness that I could find. My kids regularly Facetime with their grandparents; I can pay bills in the space of a minute; I can store hundreds of video clips of my children growing up. For me personally, the most important improvement technology has brought to my life is the opportunity to be presented with other ways of knowing and being in the world. I grew up in a subculture with an extremely conservative worldview, and believed into early adulthood that women with families should avoid pursuing higher education. It was only with technology that I was introduced to stories, articles, and ideas that radically challenged my schemas, and replaced one way of thinking with a more generous and open one. I feel that technology has helped me exit my twenties as a different person than when I began it. Unfortunately, I am still not convinced that technology is all that it is cracked up to be (in particular, smart phones). I find it highly disconcerting when groups of students congregate over their phones, put in ear buds, and put a virtual wall around themselves. Body language is such an important part of who we are, and I am convinced that this message says “stay away from me” while being a part of a group of people. Humans are made for community and connection, and we are replacing the opportunities for both of these things in favor of their digital counterparts (particularly the performativity of identity and community on social media). In addition, I believe that smart phones are corroding our collective capacity for stillness and silence, and impact our ability to hold space for our own thoughts, and for boredom. In my personal experience, I have found that I have lost my capacity to read or think deeply for long stretches, requiring constant brief distractions from social media. I have a hard time being focused in the moment with my children, my phone never far away. While technology has its very calculable benefits, it has come at a cost. For me personally, removing social media applications on my phone and lowering my data plan has helped me be more present in my own life, have great “real life” conversations in moments of waiting or boredom, and cultivate the community and connection that are so important for the human experience. I am – very slowly – regaining some of my capacity for stillness. Although this may not be the right approach for everyone, I am confident that this decision has helped me to balance the use of digital media in my life, and to use technology in ways that are in line with my identity, values, and the person I want to be.
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Creating a joyful learning culture that effectively adapts to the technological innovations of the 21st century can be an incredibly exciting challenge for an upcoming educator. Technology can be used in a myriad of ways, from students submitting digital assignments in Google Classroom, to parents checking grades through programs such as Jupiter Education, to students learning math, science, history, and literacy concepts in innovative new ways.
I have noticed in my practicum an increased emphasis on digital productivity, allowing the teacher to streamline his assessment and planning strategy, and allowing parents to check students’ grades and the status of assignments. Personal digital devices are welcome in the appropriate context, such as looking up dictionary definitions, or accessing the high school’s app. Online safety, inclusion, stewardship, and news validity are increasingly hot topics that must continue to be addressed by parents and educators; I think this is something that teachers should continue to emphasize, and actively intend to work into my curriculum. For example, I intend to have students examine current events by printing off five news articles regarding the same event (such as from Fox, The Washington Post, CNN, The Globe and Mail, Global News), and have students analyze similarities and differences between different online news sources. Before beginning my post baccalaureate, much to my chagrin, I believed that English Language Arts and classroom technology were largely incompatible, and somewhat resisted the idea of incorporating digital literacy into my pedagogy. Books, papers, pens, and perhaps Microsoft Word were the ideal tools for young learners. However, I am rapidly being swayed to the Dark Side of technological integration with English Language Arts. For example, there is a terrific program called “Storyboard That”, which I will actually be sharing in my tech presentation. In that program, teachers can ask students to map out characters, themes, plot points, and vocabulary terms for a given text into a fun and interactive digital interface, unleashing student creativity, and allowing students to collaborate on some truly imaginative projects. Teachers can collect and assess the projects directly from “Storyboard That”, and the results can be shared with the class. Another way I am incorporating digital literacy into English Language Arts is in my Shakespeare unit plan that I am creating. In my unit plan, I will be selecting scenes from the play Othello to bring to small groups of students, along with a fun prop box. Students will have the opportunity to read through the scenes, and create their own version of central, transcendental themes and emotions of the scene using props and modern language. Students can then film their scene, upload to Youtube or Google Classroom (with parental consent, of course), and the short films can be shown periodically through the Othello unit as these key scenes appear throughout the lessons. I believe that by integrating technology, students will be able to collaborate, think creatively, personalize their learning, and take tremendous pride in their work as it is shared with others. |
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