Safety. Civility. Privacy. Internet. Teens. Which word does not belong? For most people, the word is "teens". With apps such as Snapchat, Yik Yak, and Omegle being widely used among teens, the older generation is often concerned about whether teens take the internet and its power seriously.
With assurances from the app publishers that conversations and messages will be completely erased, and promises that their identities will remain secure, teens feel they are being perfectly safe and responsible when using these apps. What teens often don't realize is that it's not as simple as that. They don't realize all the backup systems and archives that may be behind the running of an app, and the possibility of screenshots means almost nothing is safe from being saved and duplicated. Another trait that puts teens at risk with these apps is the typical risk-taking behavior of teenagers -- it's just part of where they are developmentally! In the 21st century, typical teenage acts of testing limits and exploring autonomy have become more serious. Teens who might otherwise satisfy their thrill-seeking behaviors by speeding on the highway or jumping from a roof onto a trampoline are now talking with strangers online and sending messages that should "disappear" within seconds of being received. At first this "21st century" behavior seems physically safer, but teens need to realize that their physical safety isn't the only thing that matters. When a person is online, their identity, location, reputation, and emotional well-being need to be safeguarded as well. Teens should be educated on what is safe to share, who is safe to chat with, and what should not be said online. Education, of course, never has been able to completely control the risk-taking behaviors characteristic of the teenage years, but it's a good start, and a little bit of education can play a crucial role in the thoughts that happen right before a teen presses the "post" or "send" button.
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So guys, this is my first edited video.... my second ever YouTube video... and it's a collaboration with my awesome friend Rebekah! (You can check out her blog here: http://rebekahdiamond.weebly.com/ )
Here's the video link!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8n9U92lFj4 *BTW: It's not in a traditional vlog style, but it's pretty much a vlog of our everyday lives, so we think it totally counts!* When I read the article "5 Tech Trends that Could Supercharge Education in 2016" (here's the URL to it if you want to read it too: http://tinyurl.com/jjgovqe), the thing that caught my eye was the section about wearable technology used for classrooms. I liked the idea of using this kind of technology to keep track of kids on a field trip, or track physical activity during a PE class.
This technology offers solutions to the problems that were previously part of every field trip and PE class. Teachers don't have to worry anymore about constantly counting heads on a field trip, or doing roll call every 10 minutes. The wearable technology the students will be provided with a GPS option, so that when they get to the destination, all the students turn on their trackers and explore in small groups. Of course this doesn't replace the buddy system, and supervision provided by teachers, aides, and parents is still extremely important!!! But the technology is a "safety net" for everyone, so the students have a bit more autonomy in their field trip learning experience. If it so happens that a student isn't in sight, the teacher can check their location according to GPS and see if they are around the corner or down the hall. Wearable technology is already being used in PE settings, with iPhones and Fitbits being used to track heart rate, steps taken, etc. With this technology, PE teachers can assess and monitor individual student performance, and keep an eye on which students are more engaged in the games and activities. This ends the problem of PE teachers trying to make sure students are active and moving the entire class time. In conclusion, I think wearable technology has the potential to solve lots of common classroom problems, but it needs to be used and monitored in the right way and used with common sense. (As with every other piece of technology in the classroom.) Right off the bat, I want you to take a moment and figure out what the first thing is that pops into your mind when you hear this phrase: Student-driven learning. Have you heard of this before?
In case you haven't, I'll give you a little hint. I'll tell you what it's NOT. Student-driven learning is NOT turning students free all day to goof off, or waste their time and energy learning about "irrelevant" topics. Instead, student-driven learning looks like students writing their own "conclusion" to a lecture or topic given by the teacher. Think about those "pick your ending" chapter books you saw at the library when you were a pre-teen. Some kids pick the scary ending, some pick the happy ending, and some read all of the endings and decide which one they liked best. Some teachers are using a similar approach to classroom learning! Students get to have a hand in how the lesson will turn out, and what will be discussed. This can look different depending on the teacher, age group, and subject, but I'll give you an example. Let's say that a teacher gives a short, introductory lecture about different genres of literature to a 7th grade class. Once the introduction is over, instead of lecturing about all the different kinds of literature available, the teacher gives the students 15 minutes to think of their favorite books and figure out what genre they like. Students are also encouraged to research genres they've never read before, and try to find some that others haven't heard of yet. At the end of the 15 minutes, everyone comes back and shares the genres they've thought about and researched. A discussion could possibly follow about the differences among the genres and why writers choose different writing styles to express themselves. This simple student-driven exercise has several benefits for the students and the teacher:
Student-driven learning, when used correctly, has benefits for both students and teachers. Involving the students in constructing their own educational experience increases their preparedness for the "real world" and allows teachers to see what skills and knowledge need to be focused on to meet the goal of real-world competency for their students. When it comes to technology, I am NOT the person to ask.
In fact, I'm usually the one who's asking clueless questions about technology. So, when you ask me what I think about technology in the elementary classroom, what do you think I'm going to say? Yep, you think I'm going to say that it's a horrible idea, and how am I supposed to teach it when I don't even know it myself? And honestly, that was my first reaction when I came across this question. But after thinking it over, I realized that allowing more technology in the classroom is not only good for the students, but the teachers as well (even the ones like me). Allowing more technology in the classroom will not only broaden the knowledge and experience of the students. It will bring teachers out of their comfort zones and encourage them to learn along with their students. Sometimes teachers seem to become stuck, or complacent, in their own knowledge, and reluctant to admit that others know more than them. This is especially true in this tech-saturated generation, with children often knowing more than their parents or teachers. Adults can sometimes feel threatened by this trend, but I believe we should be open-minded about it, asking children to help us learn things we don't know. This isn't a rivalry, it's a learning experience. Watching children pick up new technology can also give us, as teachers, insight into how they learn. Do they associate different symbols with their actions, or figure it out by trial and error? Watching how they receive and make use of the information they are learning helps us develop more effective ways of teaching them. Of course, all good things have a bad side as well. Allowing more technology in the classroom requires control and discipline on the part of the teacher. Otherwise elementary school would start looking a lot like some high school classes, with each child distracted from the group learning experience with their own personal device. Technology in the classroom needs to be controlled and planned, corresponding with the other learning objectives of the classroom. Otherwise it can rob the teacher of authority and steal attention away from other things. Like everything else in education, technology can have it's good points and bad points. But I think, with the right application, it can be a beneficial, stimulating component of the elementary learning environment. |
AuthorHi! My name is Nicole, and I've been knitting since I was 9 years old. I love teaching myself new techniques, and sometimes making them up. I usually come up with ideas faster than I can knit them! And one day I thought, why not share it all with you! Archives
November 2016
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