A Generation Fused With Technology

According to Statista, over 4.33 billion people use the internet actively as of July 2019. 

A world not infused with technology capable of using the internet is highly unimaginable. I was born in 1997, and I cannot remember a time when I did not have access to the internet in some form. Little me would never have predicted the world to rely so heavily on these technologies. Although not all these technologies are bad. Technology in Education has taught me that there are key ways to incorporate technology inside the classroom. Using the internet and technology should enhance a lesson. To replace writing an essay by hand with writing an essay on Google Docs would not be the definition of enhancing a lesson. However, replacing a poster project with a YouTube video is a creative and enhancing way to engage the students further by speaking their language and use technology to further their learning. The difference is that these students still need to have quality collaboration time with other humans. Creating a YouTube video by oneself does no good for teaching the student socialization skills. Technology will find a positive and impactful way inside my classroom.

 I will more than likely find many of my students addicted to their phones. While this may present an issue inside the classroom of students wanting to spend more time on social media and less time on the actual math subject, these students are still capable of putting their phones away and engaging with the material. The biggest issue I need to be mindful of is the fact that life can still be happening on their cell phones. While most of the times I hope my students would only be mindlessly scrolling through social media apps, parents and guardians use messaging as a means of communication with their child throughout the day. As a teacher, I have to be aware that students’ cell phones are a vital communication medium in their lives. When a student is typing furiously on their phone, that is a clear indicator that something important and life impacting is happening for that student. Teachers have to be mindful of how to approach students in this moment. I will train myself to approach these situations with grace and love as the first means of emotion. Caring and loving the student is my first priority. 

Children born in the Generation Z category have their whole worlds infused with technology. No longer are students able to go home and escape from their friends and frenemies. Life still happens, and students are aware of life happening around them. However hard I wish for students to be able to escape and forget about their lives while in my class, we are at a time now, as a whole world, where people are always, literally 24/7, connected to every other single person in this world. My option as a teacher is to embrace the technology and find a way to enhance their learning through it. No white flags will be given with technology. It’s time to embrace it and use it for the student’s benefit.