What is Digital Citizenship??

       Digital citizenship is something that needs to be talked about. This is especially true for young people. Most often I would doubt that a kid who is surfing the web is thinking about who may be out there trying to get their personal information. The internet is a great tool, and it can be used for anything. This fact needs to be taught to young people early, when they are first learning how to use the internet. If this can be done that person will be much safer and will have the ability to not do inadvertent harm to others as well.
       Having digital citizenship means knowing the power you and others have using technology, usually related to online activity, and choosing to use that power appropriately. One way that I would teach this to young people is by showing them accounts of people who have been subjected to the will of bad digital citizens. These people will provide a solid grounding in reality for why this type of technology related behavior is necessary. Providing exercises that allow them to make choices that a good digital citizen would make would help too.

A teacher turned technology expert and her blog

    I really like this blog, found here, because her perspective is unique. I have never come across a person who can be a source of technology integration knowledge having also formerly been a teacher. Her perspective is valuable because she will understand better than most what kinds of technology will work in classrooms and what won't.
    She has many posts that speak directly to issues that are related to things teachers who are doing their best to incorporate technology into their classrooms want to know. Beth Knittle, the author of this blog, talks about what is happening in Massachusetts, the state she works in. One of her posts describes how the state curriculum of Massachusetts has adopted digital literacy and computer science as a new discipline. This is big, The state has not addressed the learning of digital material as important as subjects like math, or reading, science, etc. How will this affect teaching for that state? Will other states adopt this discipline?
   

A science related blog about learning!!

     I found a blog that relates particular scientific research to learning strategies. This is simply great! The blog, found here, is written exclusively by one man, Dr.Bill Klemm. He is a neuroscientist, education consultant, and professor. This guy is someone who teachers of all kinds would benefit from listening too.
     In his blog he shares all relevant data related to learning that he finds on ways to make it easier through his expertise, neuroscience of related content. He also shares valuable information that he gains from the scientific community. Educators would do well to pay attention to the scientific community so they can stay up to date on science content and research. It is my opinion that all teachers should take neuroscience courses, or similar courses.

Principals Page Blog

         The principals page blog is a blog that stood out to me. Being an educator is very important, most likely the most important, but there are other individuals involved in creating a quality environment for children to learn in. Principals, and assistant principals I suppose, play a vital role in making sure that schools are run effectively. This blog shows shows the perspectives of principals in ways that people, particularly teachers, might not really think about to much.
         The blog, located here, has some interesting features that make it user friendly. Each post is grouped into one or more categories. Also, on the side of the main page there is a clickable list of categories. You can choose from one of the many types and the posts that contain that category will be displayed. There is also a list of dates as well, if you are interested in only recent posts for example. All of these posts are from an administrators point of view, which is good for an education to gain perspective on.
          

My perspective on technology in the classroom

One aspect of learning that is crucial is how collaboration is connected to learning. In order for students to learn most effectively we need to give them the ability to work together to solve problems, revise certain concepts, practice working within a team, etc. As teachers we have the power and responsibility to facilitate this collaboration. Using technology can be a great way to encourage and empower our students to collaborate with one another (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK8InwlWkYg). Technology is present in the lives of children to the extent that most daily activities utilize technology. This means that through technology they will be more easily shown how to collaborate with others.

            Not only is technology integration important as a tool for teachers, it is also essential for the students of the 21^st century. Without having the opportunity to learn via technology students will be at a disadvantage when they try to participate in our ever increasingly digital world ( https://www.naesp.org/principal-januaryfebruary-2012-technology/technology-integration-new-21st-century-learner). As we teach students content it is also important to incorporate technology into their learning. Without doing so would mean that they are losing the chance to experience how to be an active member of this age of advancing technology. In their lives they will certainly be using technology every day, and experiences gained from using technology in school could be very valuable.

            One looming issue related to classroom management, for most teachers I think, is how cellphones affect students in class. It is quite common for even pre-teens to have smartphone these days. The presence of cellphones is classroom has the potential to negatively impact learning. However, could cellphones be used as an educational tool? If the cellphones of students could be used in class it could be possible to enhance learning (http://cellphonesinlearning.blogspot.com/). This is a very interesting thought. It might be possible to use what would normally be thought as a hindrance to education, with respect to classroom learning, and find a way to enhance learning.

            In classrooms now technology is being used more than it has before. What about the future though? Will technology use continue to increase? Evidence suggests that while most classrooms use technology everyday only about one third of the observed classrooms used much other than email, web resources, or productivity tools (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15391523.2003.10782399). This means that, while technology is used quite a bit now, it is uncertain how much technology use will continue to affect the classroom. It does seem likely however that technology use will continue to increase.

            The sharing of information is important for quality learning to take place. A way that information can be shared easily, and in a way that will seem familiar to many students today, is through different types of social media. There have been numerous occasions when I have opened an article that was linked by a friend of mine on Facebook that lead me to a valuable learning experience. With the integration and application, social media can be used to allow students to explore information in a way that is different from classroom instruction.

            Technology integration is an important aspect of teaching. If an educator chooses to not use technology they had better have a really good reason. The opportunities that technology can give to students are seemingly endless, so teachers do not have an excuse to abandon technology as a useful resource. However, this does not mean that technology should flood the classroom. Every action that a teacher makes should be a calculated one. If a choice is made to use technology I would expect a teacher to be able to explain to me why they are using the technology and why it is better than not using it. If they cannot do this they are being irresponsible educators, and are likely simply using the technology to make teaching easier.

            I believe that thinking without the use of technology is better than thinking with the use of technology. It makes sense to me that if technology becomes too much of a crutch then the user is not benefitting from it. Technology should be used to enhance learning.  Learning is a person gaining knowledge and skills. If the person cannot use that knowledge and skill without the technology I would argue they are not truly benefiting from it. For example, I would use a hammer to help me build a house, but would I exchange that hammer for the use of my arm? Of course not. Our minds are powerful and we need to make sure that technology is strengthening our minds, not making them dependent on it.

           

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