Blog #4
When I was first introduced to Twitter my freshman year of high school, I had no idea how it worked. Everything about it confused me and I just didn't know what the purpose of it was. Due to this, I just never used it. My Twitter sat there in the void of the Internet just not being anything. It sat like this until the next year when I decided to give it another go. I decided to let my brain deal with the frustration and move past it because Twitter was a hot commodity and everyone who was anyone was tweeting. Thus I fell down the rabbit hole and became entranced by Twitter-land and everything I could know in an instant. I used it to connect to celebrities, politics, and even my friends at school. Did I find it useful? Absolutely. There was a certain power to having a Twitter and being able to tweet out my thoughts and opinions on a platform where everyone was doing the same. Being able to know all about what was going on in the world in an instant was really something magical. Of course with any fad, I grew tired of it and just have one for the purposes of education now but I definitely think my future career could benefit from having one. Because I want to work in the fine arts field, Twitter is really a great place to connect with others who are in the business and theatre companies that I might want to get connected to or know more about.
The digital divide is something that is continuing to be relevant in today's world, especially on the classroom level. Technology is such a huge component of education today and because of this the divide is more noticeable than ever. Students who don't have the access to technology at home will initially come into the classroom and be at a disadvantage compared to those who have had more opportunities for access. It'll take a lot more work for the student who has less experience to grasp the concept of technology and how it works. That being said, teachers are given a great opportunity to get rid of the divide in their classroom or at least help it become less noticeable. As an educator, it is crucial to not treat the students who have less experience like they know nothing but to encourage them to want to learn about the technology and pick up the skills for future use. You want them to be excited about the opportunity to have technology at their fingertips so making the learning process fun and exciting for them is a great way to get rid of any fears they might possibly have. As a teacher I will probably experience a little bit of fear and frustration from the students who have less experience. Applying the strategies I mentioned before plus letting them try it out for themselves and not babying them are huge ways I can assist in their learning process.
The first educational software system that I would like to implement into my classroom is Class Dojo. This software is a great way to effectively manage a classroom. However, I have seen this software used in a way that is demeaning to the students and their self-esteem. This is why my main focus with this software is for communication between the classroom and at home as well as praise for good work within the classroom. I am all about saving paper for environmental purposes so the next software I would want to use in my classroom is Google Classroom. This platform is a great way to store everything related to the class and everything the students might need. Because of its ability to store all things from Google Sheets to Google Calendar, it's a great way to keep everything organized and in one place. I would have to keep in mind how the digital divide is working in my classroom and if there are students who do not have access to a computer at home.
The digital divide is something that is continuing to be relevant in today's world, especially on the classroom level. Technology is such a huge component of education today and because of this the divide is more noticeable than ever. Students who don't have the access to technology at home will initially come into the classroom and be at a disadvantage compared to those who have had more opportunities for access. It'll take a lot more work for the student who has less experience to grasp the concept of technology and how it works. That being said, teachers are given a great opportunity to get rid of the divide in their classroom or at least help it become less noticeable. As an educator, it is crucial to not treat the students who have less experience like they know nothing but to encourage them to want to learn about the technology and pick up the skills for future use. You want them to be excited about the opportunity to have technology at their fingertips so making the learning process fun and exciting for them is a great way to get rid of any fears they might possibly have. As a teacher I will probably experience a little bit of fear and frustration from the students who have less experience. Applying the strategies I mentioned before plus letting them try it out for themselves and not babying them are huge ways I can assist in their learning process.
The first educational software system that I would like to implement into my classroom is Class Dojo. This software is a great way to effectively manage a classroom. However, I have seen this software used in a way that is demeaning to the students and their self-esteem. This is why my main focus with this software is for communication between the classroom and at home as well as praise for good work within the classroom. I am all about saving paper for environmental purposes so the next software I would want to use in my classroom is Google Classroom. This platform is a great way to store everything related to the class and everything the students might need. Because of its ability to store all things from Google Sheets to Google Calendar, it's a great way to keep everything organized and in one place. I would have to keep in mind how the digital divide is working in my classroom and if there are students who do not have access to a computer at home.
I agree with you about the way we should treat students who are not surrounded by technology at home. Babying students or judging them just alters their drive to learn and play with technology. Instead of creating a bigger gap for the student; as a teacher why not offer more time after school for the students who don't have technology to use it?
ReplyDeleteI definitely think creating that after-school opportunity is great idea and a great way to encourage learning about technology in a judge-free zone!
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