Technology and the World we Live in

I just finished watching a video, “An Anthropological Introduction to Youtube” by Michael Wesch. I was assigned to watch at least 15 minutes, but ended up watching the entire thing. It was a very interesting video, even though it was created 10 years ago. After watching the video, I stopped and gave it some thought. As an educator, how do I plan on educating my students in the world we live in with ever changing technology and media. 

I was part of that generation where technology was already a part of my life by the time I was around 7 or 8 years old. But this technology was limited to a land line home phone and an old, very slow, dial up computer. And like we discussed in our EDTC 300 class, dial up was no fun, and you couldn’t be on the internet and the phone at the same time. I can recall getting booted off the computer or my songs not downloading on lime wire due to my parents wanting to make a phone call, and I’d have to start the whole process over again.

However, as time has changed, so has technology. As I grew up, I got my very first cell phone when I was in grade 8, it was an LG slide. Since then I have gone through many phones, and this technology has become a part of my life, as much as I’d prefer not to admit it. And as a young person that didn’t have internet on my phone, my parents didn’t have to worry about any inappropriate use. However, as time goes on, and you can’t go anywhere without WiFi, kids now a days have easy access to materials that are very impressionable on young..

Once I turned 16, I got my first laptop, and Acer, and I thought it was the best thing in the world, even though I didn’t have much use for it until grade 12, and my first year of university. When I was opened to the internet through my laptop, my parents would tell me how important it was to be responsible with this piece of technology. But for the first two years of having the computer, I really only played games and went on Facebook (which is apparently for old people now).

As an educator, it it important to have a positive online presence, and it is important to teach students the same thing. Because once something is on the internet, its on there forever and it can spread like wild fire, which is something that. Wesch discovered first hand, even while was on Super Bowl Sunday. Even with texting, it is important for kids to know how important it is to be responsible. Cyberbullying occurs more often than it ever has now that almost everyone has access to some form of technology that allows you to communicate.

Though computer and phones do have a positive side to them in a classroom, it is important to know when to use them and when not to. Cell phones are great tools to use when you are not sure how to spell something or need answers. Instead of going to the library and looking through an encyclopedia (like they did in the “Stone Age”), you can now just go onto google. Almost everything is digitalized now a days, and is easily accessed. With this easy access most schools and students have it is important how to use their technology appropriately and leave a positive footprint.

For the when not to use them, students need to know when to shut it down and be in the real world. Though sharing an instargam pic shows people what you may be doing, it keeps your life from being private, any now has access to that photo. Though technology allows us to communicate, we need to be present in the life’s we are to be living. As I was in my internship, I had a bin for cell phones to go in when students entered my class, and if we needed them they were allowed to go the their phones. I found this to be very helpful in the class, and I would do it again. And by me taking their phone away they were attentive in class, and to not, this didn’t limit them in my class, I would incorporate technology into my lessons, such as searching for good materials for paper, using different types of programs for presentations, etc.

Technology is a big thing in the world we live in today, and as educators we need to keep with the “times”, so to speak. Not only is technology useful for students but it is useful for us teachers as well. It allows us to gather resources faster, keep track of our classrooms, and gives us the ability to use new teacher resources such as plickers or kahoot.