Growing up, I was my parents' first technology person that they knew. If they needed help with the computer I was the one they would call upon to fix it. When we got our first desktop at home I remember it being in the living room and my family looking towards me to show them how to work it.
As time went by we were able to get wifi in our house, and I was the one able to get it set up again if it ever went out (yes I was the one to call AT&T with my parents there translating the issues that we had. This taught me at an early age that our world was constantly changing, and that if we didn’t adapt to it we would slowly be left behind.
When I got into education in 2016, I was pretty comfortable with messing around with the apps, and websites in order to get the most out of them for my students. I realized that my students were quite comfortable with technology because we would practice during our station time and they would know how to maneuver around it. I figured that just like me, my students were adapting to the times and learning how to get around in order to get information and/or learn new things. I don’t think there are many differences between my students and I within technology, I know now we use it as a form of communication, research, and even just as a pass time. Over time, I have heard many teachers talk about how we are doing our students a disservice by giving them all this access to technology. To that, I say, we are in the 21st century and now we rely heavily on technology in order to move forward and are able to reach more people than ever before.
When looking at Bloom's Taxonomy and the changing role of technology that it plays, we can see that if we scaffold our students through their thinking skills we are able to call them into action. We know that the whole system works together in order to equip students with what will be needed in the 21st century. The change for Bloom's Digital Taxonomy is action words that specifically have to do with technology, which I found rather interesting. The following link was very eye-opening to see how we are already using applications that we can build within these levels, or that our students are already using but may need to learn how to transfer what they know into an educational setting in order to prepare them for the “real world”.
Educators' view of technology definitely has an impact on how technology is used in our classroom. If we have teachers who do not feel empowered by technology then we will see that those students may not feel as comfortable as those who are using it regularly and purposefully. “Educational technology is changing the educational experience by extending learning beyond the walls of the classroom” Embracing Transformation, (K-2 Blueprint, 2017, p.1). Instead of viewing technology as a burden because there are things that we need to learn to keep us up-to-date we need to look at it as a tool to extend our students' learning. If we teach them how to search safely and purposefully using technology then we can build lifelong learners. This all goes back to our jobs as librarians and our rationale for learning how educational technology can be beneficial for us. Teaching our students digital citizenship and making sure they are being responsible for their learning, and how they go about acquiring it.
As times are changing so should we, as educators, we are now seeing a rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence), and some of us get intimidated by it when we see how we can build responsible scholars. Many corporations and companies are using these systems because they know we have to keep up with them before they are left behind. They are already more than likely using it, if not with apps for TikTok than some for the work they are providing. Teaching them how to use it responsibly and purposefully can better equip our students for the future by providing them with the necessary toolbox they need.
References:
from https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/blooms-digital-taxonomy
Embracing transformation - K-12 blueprint. (n.d.-b). Retrieved June 4, 2024,
from https://www.k12blueprint.com/sites/default/files/SHI-K12BP-Embracing-Transformation.pdf
College, M. (2019). The first Marist Mindset List is released. Marist College. https://www.marist.edu/w/marist-news-the-first-marist-mindset-list-is-released
Schrock, K. (2011). Bloomin’ Apps. Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything. https://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html
Churches, A. (2008). Bloom’s digital taxonomy. ccconline.org. http://www.ccconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Churches_2008_DigitalBloomsTaxonomyGuide.pdf
Sense, C. (n.d.). Bloom’s digital taxonomy. Common Sense Education. https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/blooms-digital-taxonomy
Jessica, you make valid points and I'm happy to hear your students were already at a level of comfort even at a young age. It blows my mind when I see my nephew navigate on his iPad to view his next show at only 2 years old! I feel as the years in the classroom progress, it will only advance even more so technology wise! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJessica, you make some really great points and open opportunities for discussion. Teaching students to use technology responsibly is such an important job of all educators, but especially librarians as we have learned. Librarians are in a wonderful position where they can encourage and guide teachers to implement technology in their classrooms daily to give students ample time to practice what they are learning.
ReplyDeleteTeaching students how to use technology responsibly is absolutely needed in today's age. I know teachers that think it's a disservice for the students to rely on it but it isn't going away. You can still teach engaging lessons and incorporate technology within it to create student engagement.
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