How do public policies impact the use of technology? How are these policies impacting students and teachers?

Just like any tool, there is a right and wrong way to use it. The use of technology in the classroom has so many benefits. A classroom can be transformed by using it effectively. There are certain policies that are put in place to help protect students and sometimes impact how the technology is used.


In our schools there seems to be a shortage of technology, we always need more. Our students live in a digital world where they need to prepare themselves for life after school. They need to acquire the necessary skills in school to help them when they prepare for a career. Due to inappropriate uses of technology, policies are in place to protect our students. Access to the internet is restricted and student identities need to remain anonymous. This can cause some problems when using technology, but luckily most problems can be overcome with a little planning.


I think that in regards to the use of technology in the classroom, there are some barriers. Policies are there to protect students. With careful planning, any restriction can be overcome and other avenues to use the technology can be used. As educators, I think it is very important to know what policies are in place to protect teachers and students. It is very easy to infringe on copyright laws and do something that may be not be ethical or legal. As more and more technology develops, we need to be aware of the appropriate way to use the technology.


A good example is Facebook. What a great tool to communicate with others. You could use it for homework reminders or communication to help students with homework questions. Unfortunately, this tool could also be used in inappropriate ways. Does this mean we cannot communicate with our students? No, there are other ways we can do it that are anonymous and appropriate. As teachers, we need to find ways to use the technology to benefit our students.

Impact of technology on learning, and how do we choose?

What is the impact of technology on learning? In the class session about this topic we talked about the impacts of technology and choosing appropriate technology for the task.

I think technology impacts learning greatly. As we discussed higher order thinking skills (HOTS), I could see the importance of integrating technology in my pedagogy.  Technology allows us to transform assignments in a way we never could before. Students have the opportunity to create original works as a way to express themselves. They can collaborate with others and learn those vital social skills while they help others. Technology allows us to research more quickly allowing us to evaluate what we are learning. One important aspect of technology is it allows us to develop critical thinking skills and make informed decisions on whatever we are doing. Technology teaches us social norms, it helps us demonstrate and prepare ourselves for "lifelong learning". As we develop skills and a foundation in the use of technology, we can use that knowledge and transfer it to other technologies.

As teachers, we need to be careful and what technology we use in class and how we use it. Integrating technology in class for the sake of using it, is not the best way to learn. Careful lesson planning can ensure that we are not just substituting the technology in our teaching, but transforming the content where students can develop higher order thinking skills. 

Identity

One of the definitions of identity is, "a sense of self". Do we know who we are? Do our students? 

The digital age has brought forth a new way to learn. We now have access to countless amounts of information. Research that was done in weeks can now be completed in hours. Technology has brought with it, the ability to discover ourselves in a unique way. 

As we talked about the Identity project in class, I thought of the need for each one of my students to discover or re-discover who they are. Each student in our class is unique and has something to offer. I think my job as a teacher is to let that person shine and let each individual in my class know just that; that they are an individual, unique and important. Technology has now granted us the ability to travel to other lands with a click of the button. We can research where are ancestors come from and what life was like hundreds of years ago. Technology can help us express ourselves and show people who we are. What do we stand for? What are our beliefs? What are all the different things that come together to make me, me?

I feel like we need to make sure that everyone we are entrusted to teach feel that sense of identity. They are not just another number in our classroom. Utilizing technology, we can expose them to various different ideas and topics without having to leave the classroom. We can help them develop that sense of self, and figure out what makes each individual unique in our class. 

A typical day - GO Animate

GO Animate

A typical day.......

As we wrote discussed this in class and made animations for our "typical day", I begun to realize my constant need to always be connected. I started writing a "script" for my video. The script contained the basic routines I generally go through as I prepare for my day. I soon realized that I rely too heavily on the technology in my life. When I get up, I check my phone. I then check my computer. Before I even get out of bed, I have checked my phone and laptop to make sure I didn't "miss" anything. I cannot believe how attached I am to those things. I then get ready for the day and occasionally check my phone for any updates. 

Is this a way to live a life? In the book I read, Natural Born Cyborgs,  it talks about always being somewhere else. You can be physically present in a room, but actually connected somewhere else. Is this what has become of us? Do we live most of our lives virtually? And, is that okay? I really don't think there is a "right" or "wrong" answer to that question. I think that everyone's circumstance is different and we have no right to judge others. In my own personal life, I do see a dependence on technology and how I function. Even as I write this, I wonder if I could take a technology break? Could I not use the internet for a week? Too be honest, it gives me anxiety to actually test that out. Is that a sign that I am actually "addicted" to the technology I use everyday? Is that like an addiction to food or water, where it is "okay"? 

I guess it all depends on what you use it for and if we maintain a balance in all things we do. Just like too much food can be bad for us, so can too much technology. I think it is up to each individual to decide when enough is enough. As far as taking a technology break, I am actually intrigued by the idea, and would love to take a sample population (that was willing), to see their experience before, during, and after. What would happen? Would it change their views of technology causing them to step back? Would changes be made? What would people realize and find after doing an experiment like this?

What do we value?

What do we value? The universal question, which gives so many different answers. We all value different things and ideas. Ideally, most of us have similar values that brings each of us together as a society. 

One thing that most of us value is our relationship with others. Many of us value family, friends, and even those whom we do not yet know. Within us is the desire to be better, help, and to love. With the advent of technology we have seen a change of how relationships are formed. Direct face to face and even phone communication is evolving into a digital world of Facebook and text messages. Social skills are being developed digitally and many of the every day skills we need are being replaced. We are starting to live in a world where people in the room, may very well be somewhere else. 

Technology has afforded is the ability to communicate and reach other people across the globe. What a great asset. We now not need to wait days or months to communicate with those far away. We can now do it with a click of a button.

Where do we find that balance? I feel like becoming aware is the very first step. We need to find the balance and realize that we need to find limits. Finding those limits and teaching that to the next generation of digital learners is essential. Relationships are formed in a variety of ways. There will always be a need for face to face and one on one communication. We need to ensure that this value of "relationship" will continue online and offline. We need to find the balance. 

How much media do children and teens consume each day? How does the type of media consumed impact cognition?

      As we have begun to study in class about technology and how it affects our lives, I can see in my life where I rely heavily on technology. I am always connected, I am never without a phone or even my computer. I feel these devices as an extension of me. In the book I am reading titled, The Natural Born Cyborg, it discusses how these technologies become a part of us. It is no longer a device, but an extension of our very selves. The consumption of technology raises with each passing year. The advances in technology almost force people to jump on board. Wearable devices are starting to become very marketable. Google Glass, smart watches, fitness trackers, etc.... all are becoming a part of us. 
     In my reading of The Natural Born Cyborg, it discusses the implication of technology. Think for example when a small child discovers the internet and begins surfing. The data obtained from each search and every click is obtained, recorded, and then tracked throughout that child's life. Every time that user logs on, the internet customizes itself. Advertisements are strategically placed showing previous products that may have been searched. A person could essentially be molded and changed by the how the internet directs them. The way a person thinks and acts could be dependent on the technology he/she uses. This has serious implications and provides us with the realization that rules need to be established when we allow our children to access technology. Many of the skills required to function in society are learned at a young age and cannot be learned through technology. 
     More and more, children are exposed to content that is far beyond their years. We have become callous and complacent as a society. Video games are a great example of how some parents do not view the content being displayed as "bad".  Some might argue that it is just a game and not "real life". Others, refuse to become informed when dealing with the technology that surrounds us not knowing how it might affect children cognitively. Like any tool or technology that comes; they can be used for good outcomes and for bad ones. It is up to each individual to decide the best use of the technology and be vigilant over those we care for to ensure proper use. 

How does cognition develop over the lifespan? What role does the environment play in the development of cognition?

     Piaget argues that cognitive development and that children learn through social and physical interactions with the world around them. As each of us progress, we all have experiences and interact with our own environments. We all have our own experiences and with that develop our own cognition. As children progress they go through the sensorimotor stage; where they interact with the world around them. In class we discussed how all children know at a young age is to sleep and eat. They interact with environment around them by putting everything in their mouths. 

     Next comes the pre-operational stage. In this stage, language acquisition takes place and egocentrism is at a forefront. The third phase is the concrete operations stage where children begin logical reasoning and realize that there are events that happen outside their own lives. Finally, the formal operations stage is where children can hypothetically reason and use deduction in making decisions. Moral issues come into play in this stage. 

     In the chapter "Designs for Knowledge Evolution" that we read in class, it mentions that Lave describes "learning as a participation in practice". We learn and grow cognitively depending on the environment around us. We can learn by becoming "apprentices" at work. We are molded by what we are surrounded by. For example, technology surrounds us; that technology will develop our brains in a certain way. It becomes us. In my reading Andy Clark's Natural Born Cyborgs, it suggests this very thing. We have become one with our devices/technology; it has become part of ourselves. We in a sense are no longer one without the other. This is a very alarming consequence of our interaction with the tools we have. Is this causing us to be smarter, or simply making us dependent on the technology we have? Once that technology is gone or we are without it for a period of time, can we get by? 

How do we think, learn, and remember?

     Our brain is ever-changing. Throughout our lives we have the ability to learn and change. We are always learning. Our brains do not have the ability to multi-task. We have the ability to do one thing at once. As a society we have learned to multi-task. As we do this, our thinking is diminished, and our ability to critical think is surface level. This affects our memory and our ability to learn things. When we try to multi-task, our body begins to stress out, and our working memory is affected. This part of the discussion struck me. It always seems I am doing multiple tasks at the same time. As a teacher it seems as this is part of my job. I honestly feel like this is part of the job description, "needs to have the ability to multi-task". This one discussion on the brain has me re-thinking how I go about my day and how I think and attack the tasks of the day. With the nuisances of life, I do find myself juggling multiple things, and having that anxiety in my life.

     In my life as a student and a teacher, I have reflected on how I learn most effectively. Regardless of the different research, it is evident to me that people learn in a variety of ways. We are all different, and with those differences, each person has their own unique style of how they learn. I am a hands-on, learn as I go learner. Studies have shown that when teaching is directly instructed and the student is the "listener", very little is retained. I feel like we learn best as we "do", and the teacher becomes the guide or facilitator in the process. The problem that we encounter with technology, is the ease and accessibility of information that we have. We are no longer required to "think". Answers are available immediately at the click of a mouse. The technology allows us to be passive and surface level. As we train ourselves to do that, our retention abilities and skills are drastically affected. 

     In class, we discussed how neurons begin to take shape and grow. As information is learned, neurons begin to branch out and connect to other neurons. As this happens, a web begins to grow and we begin to connect and remember things. I see this as a student and a teacher. I remember the things that I have previous knowledge of, or that I can connect with. That makes me think about utilizing technology and how it could be a detriment to our memory and how we think. If, we do not allow ourselves time to "think", we begin a surface level passive learning and will not remember what we have learned. We aren't giving those neurons time to grow.