"When I was in school, we walked to the library to check out books." "When I was in school, we passed notes in class to talk to our friends." "When I was in school..."
This past week I have repeatedly found myself thinking, "I sound like my mother, maybe even my grandmother" as big flashing lights went off in my head and I was smacked with the reality, that I have been naive to the capabilities of technology within the classroom. Just last week I thought the role of technology was to be a supplement to learning and a tool to make information accessible to all. I still agree with those thoughts; however, I now recognize, as a Digital Immigrant, I was limiting the role of technology within the classroom because of my own experiences.
As a soon-to-be teacher, I face the reality that I need to "get with the times" and create a learning environment conducive to the digital age our students are growing up in. I now recognize that social media should be exploited in the classroom not avoided. What a great opportunity to teach students how to communicate effectively and appropriately, in a context that is applicable, in and out of the classroom. Social media can be a great platform for teaching social responsibility and drawing awareness to the impact of an online presence. I think it can be easy to think of a person's social life separate from their academic or professional life, when in reality, the two collide via social media. It is important to teach student's to recognize that connection as they enter the 'real world'.
#Comments4Kids Blog Post
#Comments4Kids Blog Post
