Tech Task #3
The Typical vs. the Networked - The Digital Age
Looking
closely at these two diagrams and considering what a diagram for a typical teacher and a typical student in 2019 would be, I think it would be very similar to the "Networked Teacher" one. Seeing on how connected our students are in the modern, connected world I think that we as teachers need to
reflect on what social learning is happening in today’s society and how we can prepare them for the future. We live in a world where we are so easily connected with one another globally and culturally so we need to be cognisant of how we are teaching our students to interact and form relationships. The ability to access information and use social media
platforms to convey our thoughts and ideas plays an important role for the future of our students. A lot of jobs and careers require a certain amount of proficiency in the tech area and will only increase in the years to come. It will be beneficial to our students to learn to become a more connected teacher if we are not already one so that they can learn from you.
Take a look at the two diagrams below. What differences do you notice about them? Do you feel you fit more as the "typical teacher" or the "connected teacher"? Why? How might it benefit you to be the "networked teacher"?
The Typical Teacher"
 |
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/344832659/ |
"The Networked Teacher"
 |
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/2922421696/ |
How have the times changed?
We do, or at
least I do, take for granted that I literally grew up in a world where I had to
tell my friends to call me at this very precise time so that I would be there
to answer the phone. Eventually, we would move forward to being able to connect
with more than a single person at one time by using MSN… wow. Now, instead of
sharing a phone between an entire family, each person can have access to
virtually anyone or anything at any time on their own device. That is a lot of
people and information we can now access!
What was one of the biggest social technological advances you can remember from when you were a young one?
What does
this mean for our now more modern, connected selves and students? It means that
we are able to become more and more connected with one another. Being a
connected teacher allows me to create a more authentic learning experience for
my students. I am able to learn and teach my students about the digital age they
are growing up in and how to navigate it safely.
I am also able to share resources
and materials with colleagues and other teachers around the world. I will
always be learning and collecting new and up to date ideas from people that I
otherwise might never have been able to reach. This will help me keep an open
mind about the thoughts and ideas of different educators and the things that
they are teaching.
The Video below talks about how technology has helped teachers become better by being able to differentiate more and more with the use of technology. It has helped students learn in a more authentic way rather then the "typical," standard way.
By teaching
in a way that models global connectedness we can help our students learn the
very importance of it. It is essential for us to keep up to date with today’s
technology so that we are aware of what our students are accessing and so that
we can do our best to keep their learning authentic. Being globally and
culturally connected is our student’s future so the best way to create a
valuable learning experience is to always be learning and keeping in the know with the tech that kids are doing these days!
Think about
technology from when you were a kid and think about it now and how it has come
so far from then. Being taught ABOUT messenger is very different than being
taught how to use it safely. So even though keeping up with the ins of current
tech is beneficial for our students, it is important, if not more, that we are
teaching the SKILLS they need in order to safely and effectively navigate the
digital world. This will help them for so much longer than just in their
immediate classroom.
The function of education is to teach one to
think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that
is the goal of true education.
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Some really great points made Kristen! Yes, I absolutely agree that being globally and culturally connected is the future for our students, if it is not the case already! When reflecting back on a big social technological advance while growing up, MSN did come to mind. But I think the biggest change in my life was switching from a 'good old LG Rumour' cell phone to an Apple iPhone. Changing from a device that had physical buttons, where you were not likely to be using the internet because of high charges on your monthly phone bill to a smart phone that connected to wifi was incredible! Kids today may not realize that easy and fast access to the internet has not always been around. In fact, it seems like only a couple years ago that the sound of dial-up internet was a common household noise! In the classroom, I do agree with you, we need to do everything we can as teachers to ensure that students do not only know the ins and outs of tech and social media apps, but that they also have the skills needed to be responsible digital citizens. I hate to say it, but I do not feel specifically defined by either of the images. I think they as graduates from the Education program in 2019, we are lucky enough to have a good foundation/knowledge of tech use in the classroom. However we are still largely taught to remain 'the typical teacher' until we have gained experience and are able to try new things within our pedagogy.
ReplyDelete