Thursday, April 5, 2012

Blog Post 8: Digital Literacy

Technology surrounds me, and I like to think that I've maintained some level of independence from digital technologies, but the facts just don't support that idea. In a given week, the hours I've spent watching a screen can be measured in days. I'm online almost perpetually when I'm home, even though my attention may not be on the internet itself. I work nights, and while I carry out my duties there I've either got an I-Pod to surf the web or an old palm pilot I use as a word processor (which I actually used to type up this post). I engage in some correspondence through Facebook, but the majority of my online interaction is through the forums and message boards of communities that share my interest, in which I'm often a vocal, central member.

With all that said, I do try to keep my 'online time' prioritized, and to keep it from becoming the addiction I know it can be. At certain times in the past our home has not had the internet, and those times were actually quite relieving; a sanctuary from the outside world, if you will. Though I would have to go elsewhere to turn in online assignments, it actually forced me to plan for such events and organize my life. Such occasional limitations have proven to be a constructive element in my life, and have helped me draw a line more clearly between what digital technology is a necessity in my current lifestyle and what is merely a luxury I can currently afford.

I'm old enough to remember times before the internet, and when a mobile phone was one that had no cord attaching it to the wall but was limited in range from its cradle. A memory of those times helps me appreciate the benefit they are and gives me a frame of reference for how technological innovations have shaped our culture. I think this awareness will help me show students how to use technology for their benefit within the classroom. While I think that students will already come to the classroom more tech savvy than me, I can help them see the constructive uses of the internet and other information tools.

2 comments:

  1. . I like the ways in which you have considered that your teaching will align better with a digital generation. The choices of digital texts that you have included as well as your critical thinking about how to improve student use and critical consumption of these texts will have a tremendous impact on your students’ learning. Additionally, the ideas you have for teaching them how to use these technologies better will have a profound effect on their future learning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Evan, I like how you seem to see your role as an educator in the digital generation to "show students how to use technology for their benefit." This is an important role that teachers today fill. Many students learn to use technology through peers of for recreational purposes. It is our job as educators to teach them how to narrow their focus, even if it is on a game or social network site, to critically think about what they are learning from the digital text. Good luck with student teaching!

    ReplyDelete