Regarding my own digital footprint, as an educator, it’s important that I’m careful with the digital footprint I leave behind. I was in my undergrad as Facebook was first becoming big. Back then, it was a social networking site for only college students. Being young and in college, there were a few posts and pictures that I wish I could have taken back (and later deleted). None of the things were too bad, but as I saw Facebook becoming bigger and bigger, and as someone who was going to be a teacher, I decided to be more careful of the things I put on social network sites. It made me realize that the things I put on the internet are there for the world to see, and I wanted to make good choices of how I presented myself. It’s not only important for me to leave a digital footprint that I want to leave, but it’s important for everyone. Young people today don’t realize the repercussions that can happen from what they do on the internet. Kids need to be taught at a young age that the things they post and publish on the internet can follow them forever, and they need to think about what they’re putting out there.
As far as digital citizenship, the focus needs to be on respect. Cyber-bullying is something that more kids do than face to face bullying because it’s easier to bully behind a computer. Digital citizenship starts with teaching kids respect and then expanding it to being respectful online. With all of the technology available to kids now, I don’t think it’s ever too early to start teaching about digital footprints and digital citizenship. The sooner kids learn about digital citizenship, the sooner they can apply what they’ve learned. Before kids learn how to use and use different tools on the internet, they need to learn how to be responsible through learning digital citizenship. It’s also important to talk with kids about times where they haven’t been digital citizens or when they’ve witnessed someone who wasn’t being a digital citizen. They need to see what possible repercussions could be, as well as learn ways that certain things could have been avoided or handled a different way. One thing that I value teaching my students right up there with academics is learning how to be a good person. We’re living in a digital age, and kids are only going to get exposed to more and more online as we move forward. Now is the time to teach all kids about digital citizenship, so they can be good people online and off.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Being a Technology Integrations Specialist
From my previous SNHU courses on technology integration, my idea of what it means to be a technology integration specialist has both grown and become more focused. Initially, I thought that all a technology integrator did was introduce new technology to their districts and or school. I’ve realized that while this is what a technology integrator does, it’s just one piece. A technology integrator has to be a learner who is constantly researching new technologies that can be integrated into the classroom. There are endless tools that can be used in the classroom to help students meet grade level expectations, and new technologies are created every day. Being a technology integrator means never being satisfied with what they know about technology in the classroom and is always growing as a learner.
I’ve also learned that collaboration is key to being an effective technology integrator. I feel like tech people in general are seen as people who don’t get along with others in the workplace. They have a bad rep of not getting along with co workers because they’re not as tech savvy. Technology integrators need to build strong professional relationships. Once strong relationships have been built, there is trust between co workers and people are more open to change in their teaching and criticisms. Not only have I learned about collaboration with co workers that may not be tech savvy, it’s also important to build relationships with people who are tech savvy. Collaborating with people who are tech savvy is an opportunity for both people to learn and get new ideas.
Today’s students and teachers use technology in their daily lives. Technology use has become a regular thing and a way for people to learn and stay connected. The same should apply to school. Schools must embrace technology use to enhance education. Dr. Michael Rich spoke that it’s time to stop talking about whether technology in children’s lives is good or bad, and just accept that it is in it, he stated that technology is “like the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat” (Mohler, 2010). Students are going to leave school into a world where they need to be able to use technology and access information via technology. Teachers need to integrate technology into the classroom so their students are more comfortable using it, and are efficient and responsible while using it. Having the ability to use technology is something that can be learned. As a teacher of grades 2-5, I’ve seen the benefits of teaching students how to use technology at a young age. It’s much like learning a foreign language at a young age; the sooner they learn it, the more fluent they’ll be.
Resources:
Mohler, A. (2010, January 21). “Like the air they breathe” – The online life of kids. Retrieved from
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