When I first started teaching, I was 22. I still considered myself to be “cool” and thought I understood young people and their technology. I have found that while some of our views align, there are some major differences the more I grow up and the age gap between me and the students grows.
One facet of technology that I feel I can relate to along with my students is how technology, mainly social media, is a key to communication. According to the article, The First Marist Mindset List is Released, number 17 on the list states that “Snapchat has become their social media app of choice, thus relieving them of the dilemma of whether or not to friend Mom” (Marist, 2019). I happen to have a Snapchat account myself and use it to communicate with friends and even family (my brother sends me pictures of the dog). On the other hand, one aspect of technology that differs from what I have grown up with is the use of technology such as ChatGPT which assists them with learning different material for classes. In my mind, the use of this technology seems like a handicap rather than an assistant, but I didn’t grow up with information so readily available as today’s generation does, and this kind of A.I. technology can be more of a benefit to them than I believe.
I do believe though that technology can have its benefits. As we can see on the Bloomin’ Apps website, there are so many different online tools for students to use to hit all areas of Blooms and go from remembering certain content to creating something from what they have learned. I think that despite differing views on some parts of technology, these technological tools are familiar to students and help them in ways even us teachers cannot. We don’t know everything and all of those things that we do not know can be found on the world-wide web. In the past, when technology was new and upcoming, I think that it was found to be a tool for learning. In this day and age, I think that technology has become more of a foundation to build upon. Now that it is so readily available, teachers can use technology as a base and students take what they learn and use that technology so that their learning can flourish.
As a librarian, I would be remiss to say that technology isn’t useful or applicable in this setting. I already use technology to check in and check out books; why not use it to assist students in their studies or in library lessons that I give? One important part of a librarian’s identity is that of an information specialist. In that role, we must use technology and teach kids how to use technology so that they may seek out information that they want to know. I would never be able to accomplish this role without taking this course and learning about the educational technology that is out there. And while technology continues to grow and change, so must we. Librarians must continue to study and discover what technology is being used currently and share that information with our colleagues so that students can learn in a way that is updated and meets their needs. If we don’t adapt, we will fail these students.
References
Bloom’s digital taxonomy. Common Sense Education. (n.d.). https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/blooms-digital-taxonomy
Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy�. (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://www.ccconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Churches_2008_DigitalBloomsTaxonomyGuide.pdf
The First Marist Mindset List is Released. (n.d.). Marist College. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://www.marist.edu/w/marist-news-the-first-marist-mindset-list-is-released
Schrock, K. (2012). Bloomin’ Apps. Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything. https://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html
Toolkits. (n.d.). K-12 Blueprint. https://www.k12blueprint.com/toolkits
Thank you for sharing! You are right, I don't want to get too carried away with technology, but if we don't adapt we will lose our students. There's a balance I think we need to have, but also some of us (myself) that need to find ways to integrate technology more to capture the attention of some students.
ReplyDeleteI agree that technology has a time and place in our classrooms. Our new digital age has allowed us to freely access infinite amounts of information in seconds and guiding our students on how to use this information is vital. Using technology with our students and teaching our colleagues about is the new role of the librarian and you bring up a valid point that the absence of this would be failing our students. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou seemed to have said it perfectly when you talked about how apps may help the students in ways teachers can not. As much as we, the teachers, strive to be the first point of teaching, our diverse learners may just understand something better from an app than their teacher. I agree with you that technology is a base and teachers build upon that. I like to think of the personalized lessons provided from certain programs, the children review skills previously taught and then are given corrective feedback and move on to new skills, all the while, they are engaged because of the technology component.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has become something quite valuable to the majority of people not only in our every day living, but also at work and in education. I did not grow up with technology but I also see the value of it. AI is probably a very useful tool, but I will be honest to say I wish I could learn more about it, as I find it a little daunting. I understand, as you mentioned, that as librarians taking a course like this will certainly guide us in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteHi Madison, I chuckled in the beginning reading, because yes I too thought I was the cool young teacher! I think no matter what age our students are, one thing to realize is that they always know enough on technology! I remember during covid, alot of parents were the ones having connectivity issues and once logged in, children learned and navigated through assignments effortlessly. Yes, they learn through trial and error, but there was always some form of assistance too! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I think is that this profession keeps you learning!
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