Week 1 Reflection

Sometimes I think I am decades behind Generation Z, black boards always triumphed the smart board, computer classes were used to learn how to change fonts not for communicating to international students and homework was always completed with a pencil. However, apparently I am on the border of being classified as part of Gen Z. I think what distinguishes being part of Gen Z is the confidence of knowing how to use any piece of technology that is presented. There is a give it a try attribute that Gen Z radiates with technology. Technology has become the first thing we go to in the morning and the last thing we see at night, it only makes sense that children of this generation boast this confidence and knowledge. So how do I, borderline Gen Z’er cross Gen Y’er, facilitate e-learning to my much younger, more experienced generation?

It is easy to classify one generation as being more adapted to technology, however this does not mean the other generations have no chance in catching up. Mark Prensky sums it up quite well by categorising us as digital migrants and digital immigrants. I am not too sure where I fit into this classification; I find myself carrying traits of both.  Reaching for a pen and paper is my instinctive action when someone tells me to take notes. How long will it take for these icons to lose their origins? Will digital migrants lose the skills that were once behind these technological actions? Thinking about how much I know in relation to technology in and out of the classroom environment, draws the conclusion that perhaps I have the best mix of digital migrant/ immigrant. I am able to reflect on how technology was used in the classroom when I was a student (if it was used at all) and how it can enhance learning today. I am able to see technology through the eyes of both a digital migrant and immigrant.

I always imagined integrating technology into my discipline teaching areas to be quite difficult. However after listening to Judy Willis and Sir Ken Robinson, my creativity has been ignited. Understanding why children need creativity in a learning environment really opened my mind to how I could fuel it in a classroom. One of my teaching disciplines is mathematics, so to hear about Judy Willis walking backwards/ forwards to distinguish between positive/ negative numbers really interested me. It has always interested me in being a fun, relatable teacher; I feel that creating these curiosities in the classroom will add to my endeavor. Now, I just need to think about how to mix curiosity with technology. Judy Willis talked about what skills children learn from video games, and why these skills are in fact helpful. I would love to use this video game idea as a way to integrate technology in the classroom. The idea of levels and moving up, interests me as I am not a fan of all students working on problems of the same difficulty. The difficulty should be set for each child, not for an entire class. Sir Ken Robinson’s idea of children not being afraid to have a go was intriguing. It’s often seen as original when little children make a mistake, it’s not seen as wrong or bad. This is something I definitely want to see in my classroom one day. Perhaps the method of miniature white boards, as suggested by Judy Willis, would be a good way to do this.

After watching Judy Willis and Sir Ken Robinson’s videos, I was left pondering how I could use their ideas in e-learning. It is almost as if the An Introduction to Technology Integration video answered my thoughts. Substituting a teacher for a facilitator in an e-learning environment helped me understand how I should present technology in a classroom. The students are going to know a lot more about it than I am, so instead of teaching them about it, I should be helping them to unleash their full potential. I should let them be as creative as possible.

Digital literacies make up the newest part of literacy in the classroom, and a lot of it will continue to grow and change. I think this is important to remember, I will not stop learning about technology and neither will my students. There is no definite end of what we can do with it, this excites and scares me. By reading About Digital Literacies, I feel that I am more aware of the importance of understanding how to use digital literacies and when to implement them. There is no benefit in using technology in the classroom if it does not enhance the learning experience. There were three points mentioned by Martin and Grudziecki 2006:

• Digital competence is the skills, concepts approaches, attitudes, etc.
• Digital usage refers to the application of digital competence within a specific context (such as school)
• Digital transformation which involves creativity and innovation in the digital domain

These points were used in the reading as a three stage model of defining digital literacies, however I think they could be useful in determining if an activity would be benefitted by technology. I have included them in my reflection for future reference.

After week one, I feel that I have extended my knowledge on e-learning and the contemporary learner. I am feeling more confident with blogging and using the moodle resources. Bring on week two.