Wow. Time has flown so fast. It was a short journey but a wonderful one. I am grateful to Dr. Katia and all my classmates for such a knowledgeable journey. I have learned a lot from EC&I 830 course. The debates were very interesting and we all worked hard to critically bring the views and recognise others’ views and ideas in the debates.
I worked with my classmate Lovepreet and together we have completed our Summary of Learning. I am also thankful to Lovepreet for her time and efforts in this assignment.
In the recent decade, the technology has changed the meaning of education and we can see that learning process is becoming digital these days. Whenever we work online, we leave some data in the form of digital footprint. A digital footprint is a collection of information about a person’s online activities. These people people lack mindset to use social media. This is becoming more apparent in today’s secondary schools. The question arises whom we should blame? Teachers or parents? Educators and parents both have a role to play in teaching kids about digital citizenship and guiding them about the digital footprints on the internet.
It can be difficult to strike a balance between permitting and encouraging children to use social media in school while also offering instructions for proper usage. The truth is that the majority of today’s high school students are unaware of proper online behaviour. In the Mike Ribble’s Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship, its explained that how we can be good citizens online. We may begin to properly prepare high school kids for college and the future by focusing on five twayswhen handling the issue of digital footprints.
Is it sound funny? Well, this is a good way to check your accountability online. Beginning with a simple task, such as a Google search, students can “enhance” their digital footprint. Encourage kids to “see what the world sees” by doing so. Try to scroll for the first few pages of Google and check if you exist there or not. If you find your name or ID, try to figure it out if it belongs to you.
Number 2: Preparation and Resources
Schools and teachers must develop some innovative approaches to teaching digital citizenship. Teachers can invite Guest Speakers in the classrooms to teach about digital footprints or choose some good reading material for kids. A student’s digital footprint is frequently based on their social media connections and interest-based social media apps. In this academic component is mostly absent.
Students should be taught to ask themselves, “Would you post this if your mother was reading it?” in addition to the frequent phrase “think before you post” and the golden rule. Because educators can only teach so much about digital citizenship, the expectation is that children will develop an awareness over time. To customize learning, teachers must establish relationships with kids. Moreover, participation of parents is must.
Number 4 Activate Google Alerts
Google Alerts is a notification service that alerts users to changes in search results. When new results are available, the user is notified through email if his or her name matches the search query. By activating these alerts one can save themselves from cyberbullying or hacking. If you find that you have not made any changes and still you get alerts, notify the support team immediately.
Number 5: Strong Passwords
While creating social media accounts, try to choose strong passwords. Your passwords can contain special characters, uppercase letters, and numbers in your passwords. Both teachers and parents should guide kids to decide strong passwords and they should change it from time to time.
For today’s high school kids, digital footprints serve as a reminder to utilize social media responsibly and for academic goals. A foundation can be formed utilizing the principles listed above, as well as many others. Our children will be able to comprehend the importance of digital citizenship and eventually model it for their peers if we raise awareness as educators by teaching the skills associated with it. Students will be guided in the construction of their digital footprint with the help of their parents.
With the advancement of technology, online education is becoming popular. Over the decade, the use of the internet is becoming popular and both teachers and students love to study online. Also, if I think about the Covid times, online education and using tools have become popular and children were able to continue their studies.
In this debate, both agree and disagree teams came up with strong points. I will discuss some of them in my blog.
AGREE
Digital Inequality: Every kid does not have laptops or high-speed internet. This gives rise to digital access and digital inequity.
Screen time: With the use of laptops and the internet the screen time of students gets increased and it can impact their health. They can have sleep disorders, myopia, stress, and anxiety.
Isolation: Students feel isolated while learning online which can impact the social-emotional learning process. Moreover, students can become unmotivated and can struggle with their appearance when they have to come to class and do face-to-face interactions.
Physical education: With online study, it is difficult to perform physical work and the question arises that “how one can do physical education classes”.
Music and drama classes are hindered by online classes.
Assessment:It is difficult to access these classes. Assessment is not done properly in virtual education. Virtual learning causes fatigue and mental exhaustion. As a result, students fear losing and lack behind. Physical schools provide breakfast and provide safety, security, and stability.
The disagree team said that online learning is a perfect supplement for learning. Online learning comes with many benefits and we have seen this in lockdown times.
More flexibility: Self-pace and allows to set up the schedule and students and teachers can be flexible in the learning process.
Small Groups: Teachers are able to work in small groups and one can learn at any time and anywhere.
Time: It saves time for students and it develops important skills, especially in terms of technology. Online education meets the unique needs of the classroom. If I talk about the feedback, the online homework is easy to check and quickly assessed.
Disability: A person with visual and hearing impairment can get the most of the benefits from online learning. For example, dyslexia as kids can change the font size while learning online.
It eases the pressure of harassment in schools.
Fewer distractions: Online learning prevents distractions as a student read and write alone in a closed environment.
https://giphy.com/explore/virtual-teacher
Conclusion
Parents are concerned about their children’s long-term impacts of online learning. Children’s education has been disrupted, and their social, emotional, and mental well-being has suffered as a result of the change. Parents are rightfully concerned about the negative consequences of online learning, but there are some positive outcomes as well.
When the pandemic drove schools across the country to close, parents, teachers, and children were caught off guard. Even though some schools have reopened, others have remained closed, and millions of kids continue to learn remotely to some extent. Families and educators can gain useful information and utilize this as an opportunity to progress as the influence of online education become more apparent.
With the advancement of technology, cellphones provides us all the features and with just one click we can do what almost everything. Many students at schools try to hide their cell phones from professors. Initially, cell phones were prohibited in schools. It makes a lot of sense that children are not allowed to use their cellphones during school hours.
Cellphones in the classroom provide even another motive for pupils to attack one another. Children, for example, will now be bullied based on the sort of phone they have, while others may not have a phone at all and may be mocked for not being as wealthy as others. Students may become unsuccessful and ashamed if they do not have a cellphone and the job they are performing in class necessitates one. Cellphones provide pupils with mobile internet access, which fosters cyberbullying.
Parents and teachers frequently disagree about whether or not it is necessary to bring cell phones to school. Smartphones, on the one hand, serve as a means of communication. Parents may find out where their children are at any given time. On the other hand, cellphones can be used to contact a teacher or parents. Without digital equipment, studying at a distance is impossible. Parents sometimes complain that their children spend more time playing video games or chatting on Twitter than in class. Schools throughout the country are adopting tight cell phone regulations as school administrators strive to enhance student achievement and the overall student learning experience. Cell phones ringing in the classroom can disturb classes and divert students’ attention away from the material at hand. Cheating has been accomplished through the use of text messaging and students can click the test answers and send it to one another. Schools have the authority to prohibit cell phones from being brought onto the campus. However, according to government policy, it is the role of principals to evaluate if this is suitable.
Keeping all the points in mind, I want to say that no doubt that cellphones have advantages but we can not ignore the drawbacks of bringing smartphones in a classroom. It is difficult for one teacher to keep an eye on every student’s action and also we teachers do not have full rights to invade the privacy of kids. Why to bring smartphones in classroom, when a student can access it at their home. Also, we can have a locker facility where students can keep their phones and use it in break time. Moreover, I agree that we can revise policies to bring cellphones but it will be difficult to assure that these policies are in practice throughout the school. It is the school’s responsibility to take care of the security of kids and teach them evacuation procedures and mock drills rather than promoting cell phones in emergencies. We can find a right balance in allowing or banning cellphones in a classroom.
With the rapid advancement of technology, we are always looking for the latest and greatest device or gadgets.Although it makes our life a lot easier and more interesting, it also has a significant drawback. One big issue or concern is our inability to communicate with one another. Nowadays, it’s rare to find someone who doesn’t have their phone in their hands. This became a huge source of anxiety for me because I am not hooked on my phone and like to live in the moment. When my family gets together in the living room to unwind at the end of the day, I observe that everyone has their phone in their hand and no one looks at one other or has a genuine conversation.
DEFINING THE HARM
If I talk about kids, parents are finding it more difficult to spend quality time with their children because they are stressed out by work and family ties. These days our nanny is Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
In our class debate, Gunpreesh, Dami, and Fasiha came up with very strong points that how we have forgotten the days when children use to play outside in the evening, eating bubble gums and skating. These days social media app has overruled outdoor activities and kids love to scroll through their news feed rather than playing any game. It is becoming an addiction that ultimately is ruining the health of kids. They are getting affected by diseases like anxiety, stress, myopia, and so on. Moreover, we cannot ignore cyberbullying. People abuse their authority for more harm than good, resulting in cyberbullying, which is a separate topic for discussion. Others may use it to defraud you or engage in other heinous acts. However, one advantage of having technology is that information is easily distributed and we can get what we need to know faster, and communication is now possible at the speed of light, which is also incredibly useful. I remember the days when a blue whale challenge came on the games app and how many kids did suicide and died because of that challenge.
THE ANOTHER SIDE
But we cannot ignore the benefits of social media. As said by Jennifer – ‘People fear change and they fear social media too. Social media is helping in building relationships and it especially helps those who feel like rejected in society. As explained in Mike’s Nine elements of Digital Citizenship, parents and teachers can teach the kids how they use social media wisely and how they can be respectful online.
Team 2 came up with an example of Swimming that it needs guidance and supervision and the same applies with social media, Dami came up with a point that Kids are natural swimmers. I want to say that I agree that kids are natural swimmers but if proper practice, supervision, and guidance are not given then a kid can be in a dangerous situation.
All in all, I want to say that we cannot avoid social media but I think one can be kind on the internet and create beautiful memories as these memories are on a place which we call as internet and will stay there till we remove them.
Social Media is a useful tool to pass information. Nowadays, almost everyone is on social media including teachers and students. Now the question arises, should teachers use social media platforms to promote social justice. We have a great debate in our classroom and there were many relevant points to which I am agreed. I think teachers should use their voices and advocate for the concerns of the classroom or school. Also, as per Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship, we should be good citizens and explore ways to protect everyone’s privacy. We have seen how black life moment was discussed on social media and how all the citizens came forward to support it. So, we can say that social media when used correctly can be a powerful tool both offline and online.
As said by Jennifer in the classroom that “there is no such thing as neutral education” and being an educator we hold that power and potential to pass the messages. We should practice good social media and value differences in teaching and learning and it’s always fine to have opinions.
If you are not willing to share any concern on social media or post anything anonymously, means you are not supporting it completely. As a teacher, we should share our responsibilities towards society. Social Media opens the door and helps to share the feet on the ground activism. Some students in the classroom may choose to ignore it but as a teacher, we need to teach how to be on the side of truth. We can teach students how to be safe and respectful while sharing anything on social media.
Dalton and Brooke came up with a very strong that social media is not a place for activism. When we look at the teachers and students, we should not make it mandatory that all teachers should post on social media. If you want to support any concern participate in rallies and support the cause. If a teacher is posting and students will follow it without giving a second thought as the teacher is a role model to the students. Also, when we share so many things on social media, we limit the critical thinking of students.
Discussing LGBT rights in posting it on social media can make students start judging you. It comes back to the teacher, and they can even lose their jobs or can create a big impact on the position of teacher. It is not always our responsibility to do this outside the class. Moreover, If there is no proper information passed on social media, a teacher can be a problem. Freedom of speech doesn’t always mean that they are supporting the correct side. Social media is not only the way to be active citizens, and teach our students about the world we live in. This can give wrong messages to kids to become active on social media. Taking action is more important than talking on social media as teachers can be found non-trustworthy when there are only words and no actions in real life.
All in all, I think it is not only the duty of teachers to guide students about the use or misuse of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and so on, but parents should keep an eye on younger children so that they do not follow any wrong path in that growing period. Teaching ethics, and morals, and following the right path should be the main area.
Technology has changed the way we do everyday tasks. No doubt it has made our life easier and more organized. Emerging technologies have enabled humans to become more creative, productive, and innovative. We take technology for granted these days. From desktop to tabs our life has completely changed. We can work with anyone on the planet with these devices.
If I talk about schools, are we using enough technology to teach students? We have IT lessons in schools which is mandatory, but do all schools or classrooms implement technology in their curriculum? If I talk about maths or cursive writing, I completely disagree that schools should not use technology in teaching these subjects. For example, we have a wonderful example of Desmos where kids can learn maths and solve problems. It is an effective way to learn mathematics. It is a free and easy tool that provides a visual way to kids to understand the expressions. Desmos provides smart instructional support to students. Such types of tools are easy to use and help in self-marking, and provide interactions to kids. I think using technology in a subject like maths is beneficial as it makes a subject interesting. According to a study, a very less number of students are interested in reading maths, and memorizing some formulas, tables, and methods makes it more boring.
Image: Code.org
Technology makes education interesting and children will be able to learn in an interactive environment. How we can forget gamification? Learning multiplication and addition with the help of games is fun and it generates interest in students. Using tools for addition, subtraction, and division is helpful in the early years of learning. An interesting example of the Apple pencil that was discussed in the class was interesting as we can take advantage of technology in cursive writing. It promotes creative thinking rather than creative writing.
On the other hand, I think practicing gives more efficiency to kids. If a student is trying writing or cursive writing, it will help him to improve his spelling and will build motor skills. Also, some kids do not have internet connections which links with the digital divide. As explained in the video in the class, 6% of Canadians do not have an internet access. Memorization should be promoted as if someone learns anything by heart, he/she will never forget it in his life. It becomes easier to calculate their day-to-day expenses, if a person can count numbers on their fingers. Also, my classmate Durston made a relevant point that “practicing writing on paper rather than using any technology is helpful for the kids with Dyslexia as it will build their thinking and motor skills”. Without having a basic foundation we can not pass learning directly. Just by using iPad and computers students will not learn life skills and motor skills.
The example of “Self Driving Cars” discussed in the class, relates to the statement that without a foundation, technology can not work properly. Moreover, there is no scaffolding and critical thinking if a child is taught addition/multiplication by the use of technology. This promotes private tutoring and some families can not afford it. No matter how much we have become technology-oriented, there is a need to build a basic foundation.
Technology has the potential to alter education. It can help instructors and students strengthen their bonds, innovate learning and work together to fulfill the accessibility gaps. No doubt technology improves learning experiences to meet the needs of all students. Technology is not only beneficial in the education sector but it helps an individual to grow professionally.
In the video by Nicole, Tracy, and Stephen, I agree that technology helps impaired students in learning and creates equitability. Technology has done a lot in the health sector and it helps in mobility by providing wheelchairs and hearing aid. In addition, technology has increased opportunities and decreased the gap among people. When implemented correctly, technology can make a significant contribution to educational equity. It lowers obstacles to learning resources, helps students where they are in various learning settings and needs, and gives educators a better understanding of the learning environments they are creating.
With the help of technology world’s literacy rate is increasing and education is becoming less location-dependent. Students can download resources and play educational videos/games on devices. Technology has widened access and one can use multiple applications to ease their life. A tablet that does not have access to the internet is also beneficial. It can be used for writing, animation, filmmaking, and photography. However, once you include it in the internet, the possibilities are endless. With the help of the internet, students can increase their search and download useful study materials
Disagree
From the classroom’s debate, group 2 came up with strong relevant points where technology doesn’t lead to a more equitable society. For example, if there are many family members, it becomes difficult to manage less number of devices. Also, some parents can not afford to purchase multiple devices for their kids. Also, the “Digital Divide” that was discussed in the classroom, explains that despite having access to devices sometimes lack of skills in students or teachers prevents them from using the technology. Moreover, some parents or teachers do not have good knowledge of using applications, laptops, and so on. So the kids do not get proper guidance from home. As per the study discussed in the class, in Africa, 43.2% have internet access in schools but there is lack of funding for the computers. Socio-economic status widens the gap for the use of technology. The language on the internet is mostly English and sometimes it becomes difficult for non-natives to understand things faster.
On the other side, fake news and disinformation have been around for a long time, but with rapid technological improvements, people are finding it difficult to keep up with what is true and what is not. Low self-esteem is linked to FOMO and social media anxiety. Although much research has been done on the subject but is still an issue.
Technology ultimately changed the world as we know it, accelerating development in many sectors and increasing equality and opportunity for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Misuse of technology is to blame for the majority of the damage caused by technology. Social media is the best example to describe it. It is the duty of each person to understand the drawbacks of technology and use it wisely. Technology is a boon if it is provided to everyone and used efficiently.
Technology has now become a common aspect of the industry. Educational Technology refers to the employment of both hardware and software to offer education, according to Wikipedia. Learning theories and other streams are used in the academic knowledge taught by technology to guarantee that learners have the greatest possible learning experience. Implementing technology in education has become a common practice these days. From classroom projectors, where students were shown PowerPoint slides on a PC attached to a projector, to webinars, where students are given quizzes during a session, educational technology has come a long way. Educational technology is extremely important for today’s learners, whose skill development is influenced by the use of appropriate tools like the Learning Management System. From the class debate, I actively listened to both Agree and Degree side and I believe that along with the benefits there is always some drawback that comes side by side. Below are some of my thoughts on both sides of a coin.
From the video created by my classmate Britney, I agree that with the help of technology students and teachers can access information and get many resources online for their studies. Moreover, there are many EdTech tools online which increase the engagement of students. The knowledge of these tools helps them later in their professional life. Students and teachers can interact with each other with the help of tools like Google Meet, Zoom, or any social media app. In addition, teachers can note the attendance, and lesson planning, and create interesting assignments on laptops which saves teachers time. It is related to the article “Attention students put your laptops away”. These days mobile provides us with multiple features and students and teachers can make or record notes in it. As there are multiple templates online for presentations, and pictures which makes the lessons engaging and interesting. Moreover as shown in a YouTube video how technology integrates with pedagogy and content and how it is beneficial in learning (TPACK). The technology resolves the disabilities issues of reading and writing. For example, if a child is visually impaired, teachers can give them recorded lessons so that they can hear it and learn at their pace.
As said ‘excess of everything is bad’ This also applies to over usage of technology. Both parents and teachers should teach students to manage their screen time. According to studies, more people are getting detached and isolated as a result of the connections that technology gives through social networks. Young children who spend more time on electronics may spend less time socializing with their peers, which can have an impact on their social and emotional development. It is critical to balance “technology time” to mitigate this risk. Nowadays it is very easy for kids to access inappropriate content or information. There should be tight supervision which can help children from being exposed to such content online.
There are some online games or activities that are “pre-made,” with the help of which ids can solve their homework/tasks without any learning or creativity. These types of games provide different types of learnings aids to kids which kills the actual study time for students.
Conclusion
Technology advances at a breakneck pace. To guarantee that children are equipped for our ever-changing world, educators must stay up with these developments. Technology integration in the classroom can help students learn more effectively. It is crucial to note, however, that technology does not completely replace traditional techniques. Technology should be used to improve student learning results and enrich the entire educational experience. This will make it possible for technology to have a significant impact on student learning.
Technology has changed our day-to-day life. According to me, it has revolutionized the world. One can work, play, and learn with just a single device in hand. Moreover, technology is replacing the old technology and it’s changing our lifestyle. If I talk about education, indeed the use of computers has transformed education. One can store plenty of data in it which has replaced bookshelves. We have also seen in the Covid times how technology has benefitted everyone in their day-to-day tasks. Students were able to study online; people were able to continue their jobs with the work-from-home facility.
Technology in Education
I use technology every day. If I talk about technology in the educational field, I use Zoom for my classes, Discord, Emails, Google drive, and surfing Google on both laptop and mobile. Apart from this, I use some special tools like Microsoft office, Canva, Google sheets for my assignments. I think without computer my education will stop or it will be more difficult for me to study. Now I cannot imagine my education without a computer and the internet. Moreover, in the Pandemic, I was able to continue my Masters from India and I wonder if there would be no technology or internet, then how different my life would be.
Technology in Daily Life
In my routine, I use my phone for setting up alarms, reminders, and notes and even I make my grocery list on my phone. With just one click my life has become easier with the help of technology. I use some apps like Amazon, Instacart, Doordash, PC express, and so on. With the help of these apps, I save my time and can get anything at any place. Moreover, in terms of traveling, I sometimes use Uber and reach my destination. In my view, these applications have made our life easier and we do not realize it.
Source: https://giphy.com/
Technology for Social life
Mobile phones help me to get in contact with my family and friends. Just by pressing one button, I make video calls with my family in India and feel that they are beside me. No doubt technology has shortened our distance. I also use some apps to become social such as Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp. These all help me to stay in touch with my friends. Also, I have joined some educational and tech pages which increases my knowledge in day-to-day life. For my leisure time, I spent time on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Netflix. I enjoy watching movies, shows, and comedies.
All in all, technology has become a need for all of us and with its advancement of it, we are connecting the world more efficiently. One should be cautious while using some of the applications and always behave in the right manner.
Always remember that:
“technology is not a life but it makes our life sorted”.
