Reflection #2
Daisy Lamoureux, Content from October 9th
– Social media and technongly in education
What?
On October 9th we had the opportunity to listen to guest speaker Jesse Miller’s experiences and knowledge on technology in classrooms and the responsibilities as educators to be responsible with our digital citizenship. He discussed social media and the expectations and standards educators are held to.
Social media and technology are well integrated into everyone’s everyday lives and as educators it is our responsibility to continually develop our digital literacy skills, and help our students navigate how to develop theirs.
So what?
Navigating and balancing my personal online life and my life as a future educator was something I went into the course not knowing how to approach. I feel I left this week’s zoom with a better understanding of how I should professionally go about my presence and use of social media as an educator without losing my ability to express myself online.
I appreciated that Jesse did not only focus on the negatives of social media, as I often find that is how social media is discussed. He highlighted that social media can be a great tool for connection and community. As educators who model behaviours and attitudes to our students we need to use social media in a safe and productive way to set a proper example.
Jesse also discussed how social media and phones are not going to disappear. Technology is just going to continue to evolve, so banning it from schools is not a productive method; teaching kids how to be safe and use it properly is a much better option. I resonate with this as my elementary/high school banned the use of phones and I found it in contrast increased the use in secrecy. In my future classroom I will model that phones can be useful and great tools but there is a time, place, and way to use them safely and productively in and outside of the classroom setting.
As for technology in the class, Jesse also discussed how it is very useful and inclusive to contribute to your class, both in presenting information and teaching students about technology. It allows students to access an abundance of educational information, communicate, and showcase their learning. That being said, thought and care needs to be put into the use of technology in the classroom as it can also have negative results like unsafe usage of online information, inappropriate communication, and distraction. This is why it is crucial to teach kids about the proper ways to use technology.
Now what?
I will use the new perspectives and knowledge gained to be more intentional and critical when it comes to my digital literacy. For me, this looks like not attaching my last name to my social media and being intentional with the way I present myself online. I will think about the different ways I can incorporate the importance of online safety and awareness in my lessons to my future students; such as teaching students about digital footprint, cyberbullying, and fake news; while also allowing kids to use technology as the tools they can be.
