Week Seven…Getting involved in Digital Activism

I began reading and researching for this week’s blog post by watching the video on Digital Activism.  After watching this video I became excited about the different opportunities for activism online such as: religious freedom, gender equality, raising awareness for illness, etc. Then I began reading the assigned readings, and I have to be honest, and say I was a little disappointed after reading chapter 9 in Tapscott.  For the most part this chapter seemed very one-sided, perhaps that was the goal?  Either way the Obama campaign, as Tapscott pointed out, was the first to use the internet to actively involve people.  Chris Hughes set up www.barackobama.com which gave citizens the chance to be involved in the Obama campaign.  I was surprised that people had so many options to get involved. “For example, we let supporters make their own fund-raising page, import their address book, and share the reasons they think it’s important to donate with their network.  We also let them track their progress on a thermometer,” (Hughes as cited in Tapscott, p. 250, 2008).  All of these opportunities seem like great ways for people to be involved in politics.

As I researched I wanted to find sites that shared pros and cons about politics.  Facebook and Twitter both provide a platform for people to share their thoughts on politics.  I happened to look at Healthcare.gov on Facebook because one of the Net Geners I interviewed spoke about the recent Healthcare plan.  She was disappointed because she and her spouse are having to pay more money for healthcare than they did prior to the U.S. adopting the new Healthcare plan.  We did not get into a long discussion about Healthcare, but she did voice her frustration.

Rather than focus simply on politics, I would like to touch on other ways people can be activists online.  When I interviewed people from the Net Generation I found that some people are active online while others are not.  One person I interviewed said she was not really active online, but she did support causes; for instance, she supported veteran and cancer causes.  When I asked why she supported these causes she said simply, “family”.  She supported these causes by donating money.  We discussed the idea of donating money for these causes online and she said that in the future she may go this route.  Personally, I prefer not to simply donate money; if I am going to donate money I would like to do so by running a race or participating in a walk.

Other people that I spoke with from the Net Generation shared information about different causes via Facebook or Twitter.  Such as, schizencephaly or hyperemesis gravidarum (excessive vomiting during pregnancy).  One friend of mine has a child with schizencephaly so she supports this cause through Facebook, donations, etc. ( http://www.wearerare.org ).  Another friend shares information about hyperemesis gravidarum on Facebook because she experienced this disorder during all three of her pregnancies, and she wants people to be informed about this disorder.  Being able to share information about disorders and have people support you as your family deals with different things is a great way to be a digital activist.  Net geners and others are able to spread the word and gain support quickly with the help of the internet.  This can be very helpful for teachers who wish to gain support for things they are doing in the classroom.  I have seen teachers use http://www.donorschoose.org/ to fund projects such as creating a class library or getting new technology for their classroom.

 

People are becoming more active in social and digital causes because the internet serves as an efficient way for young and old people with common interests to find one another and to connect,” (Palfrey and Gasser, 2010).  People have always been involved in causes, now the internet is bringing more people together that share the same interests so more money and support can create more effective groups to address a number of causes.  For educators, this might mean participating in digital activism movements as a class.  Perhaps a class can get involved in raising funds to help support the movement to #bringbackourgirls or maybe a group of students can help support a local farm that may be struggling.  Truly, the sky is the limit!  There are so many great opportunities for young and old people to be involved in digital activism.

Resources:

Palfrey, John and Gasser, Urs. (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives. [On-line] Retrieved June 16, 2014

from:   http://site.ebrary.com/id/10392430?ppg=8

 

Tapscott, Don. (2008). Growing Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World.

               McGraw Hill Professional Publishing: New York, New York.

 

Websites referenced:

 

www.barackobama.com

 

http://www.wearerare.org

 

http://www.donorschoose.org/

Week 6 Blog: Net Generation Consumers or “Prosumers” in the 21st Century

Grown Up Digital Tapscott

Chapter 7 of Tapscott’s book Grown Up Digital reminds me of a recent discussion my husband and I had.  He and I are slightly older that the Net Generation Consumer, but we still relate to some of the ideas discussed in chapter 7.  I took my husband out to purchase a new TV for him.  I was hoping to surprise him and I think I did.  We went to Best Buy and began looking at televisions.  He told me what he was looking for and after a half hour or so we left, without a TV.  I was a little bummed because I really wanted to get a TV for him.  He explained that he really hadn’t researched what he wanted and what was out there.  He wanted to compare different pricing options and different televisions that would best fit our family.  He also really did not want to listen to all the employees at Best Buy tell him about which TV is best; My husband wanted to go into Best Buy or another store already educated on what he might have purchased.

Tapscott discusses how the “eight norms” of net generation consumers influence how they purchase products.  Similar to how my husband felt about purchasing a TV, Net Geners want to have the freedom of choosing a product; they do not want employees telling them which product is the “best fit”.  Net Geners “scrutinize” each product.  Asking questions like: “Is it the best product?”  “If so, is it the best product to fit my needs?” etc…  Net Geners are also looking for a company that has integrity.  Does the company back their products?  Net Geners turn to their friends for advice on different products and services by posting on Facebook.  For example, a recent post on my news feed read, “In Traverse City, know of any good places to eat dinner?”  Instantly this person had several replies from friends or friends of friends that had traveled to Traverse City.  Consumers don’t really need to purchase Consumer Report or call around to find a good place to eat.  Now, consumers have the internet which includes a large social network they can consult when purchasing goods or services.

Other norms Net Geners consider include: is it fun, can I collaborate with the company providing it to suggest improvements, also is it fast and are my communications with the company answered quickly.  The Net Generation represents a group of people who want more than just being a consumer; they want to be prosumers.  According to Alvin Toffler (1980), prosumers are “proactive consumers” or “common consumers who were predicted to each become active to help personally improve or design the goods and services of the marketplace, transforming it and their roles as consumers,” (as cited by en.wikipedia.or/wiki/Prosumer).

 

Not all Net Geners are “prosumers”.  Still, marketing professionals should be aware of several things when trying to attract the attention of the Net Generation.  Marketers need to focus on engaging consumers, creating a consumer experience(s), and come up with a strategy to plug into N’Fluence networks, just to name a few (Tapscott, 2008).

Palfrey and Gasser in Born Digital

In Born Digital Palfrey and Gasser discuss the copyright issues that go along with being a prosumer or someone who tries to personally improve or design the goods and services.  In instances like Napster and Grokster, the companies were sharing music online without paying much thought to copyright laws.  In the end both companies were shut down, but certainly people are still sharing music files online without paying for them.  If companies want to connect with the Net Generation “they will have to find a way other than through fear to reconnect with their customers,” (Palfrey and Gasser, 2010).  One way might be through something like iTunes.  iTunes doesn’t only offer music downloads; they also offer “audiobooks, podcasts, and ipod games, among other things” (144).  Personally, I enjoy being able to download one or two songs from an album rather than purchasing a cd with all the music.  Then I find myself only listening to those two songs I like and that gets old.  I also enjoy that I can move songs around in my library to create a nice running playlist.  I think Net Geners can relate because iTunes allows them to be creative and tailor their music to fit their needs.  iTunes also gives you the flexibility to look at different price options and the option to have DRM free music or Digital Rights Management System (Macworld Staff, 2009).  I have not looked at other programs but I am certain there are other companies that offer ways to download music.

As I look at the Net Generation as consumers I can’t help but think about how we should educate them and the coming generations.  In order to educate and reach out to the Net Generation we need to focus on some of the 8 norms mentioned by Tapscott.  Such as making our content for students engaging, fun, collaborative, and useful to them.  As educators we should be continuously learning about new technology and how to integrate it successfully into our classrooms.

 

Lesson ideas for Net Generation Consumers:

This particular website actually discusses the Next Generation as learners rather than the Net Generation, however I found myself continually coming back to this page to explore it more.  This site offers education on life insurance, health insurance, risk management with financial planning, and disability pay options when injuries make a person unable to work.  Each of these lessons offers information on things that might be of interest to students as they prepare to graduate high school or even college.  The site offers an intro. Video followed by lessons and worksheets.  There are also student resources and helpful links to help provide additional support and education.

Site: http://www.scholastic.com/nextgeneration/

 

 

 

Resources:

Macworld Staff. (2009).  iTunes Store and DRM-free music: What you need to know.

               Retrieved online June 23, 2014 from http://www.macworld.com/article/1138000/drm_faq.html

 

Palfrey, John and Gasser, Urs. (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives.

               [On-line] Retrieved June 23, 2014 from:   http://site.ebrary.com/id/10392430?ppg=8

 

Prosumer. Retrieved online June 23, 2014 from en.wikipdeia.org/wiki/Prosumer

 

Next Generation. (2014). Retrieved online June 23, 2014 from                http://www.scholastic.com/nextgeneration/

 

Tapscott, Donn. (2008). Growing Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World.

               McGraw Hill Professional Publishing: New York, New York.

 

 

 

Blog Week 5: Net Geners are Changing the Way We Do Business

Initial Thoughts

 
The first thing that resonated with me as I read through the content for week five was actually Lee’s discussion about “paying your dues”. Our family moves often due to my husband’s position so I constantly feel as though I have to “pay my dues”. On the one hand, this becomes very frustrating for me because I know I work extremely hard at being an outstanding educator and yet I constantly have to demonstrate my skills as a teacher. Still, each time I do this I find that I learn a great deal about myself and my beliefs as a teacher. When we move I revise and tweak my resume, cover letter, and even my philosophy of education. Sometimes I think it is good to reflect on our own teaching; it allows us to see where we have room for improvement. “Reflection is a key ingredient to move knowledge from short term to long term memory,” (Clements, Mark).

Lee also pointed out that, “The digital footprint is the best resume that a Net Gener can develop. This rang true for me as I work on revising my resume. I have spent a great deal of time working on my professional portfolio both for my master’s degree and my career.

Thoughts on Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World by Don Tapscott

 
In Grown Up Digital, Tapscott discusses the need for businesses to change the way they hire and employee their employees. Some businesses are hesitant to do this while others make a daily effort to meet the needs of Net Geners. Tapscott spoke about Best Buy creating the website http://www.BlueShirtNation.com in order to tap into Net Geners creativity to solve today’s business problems. According to Tapscott the website has been a huge success for Best Buy (Tapscott, 2008). This example reminded me of a recent project I came across while I was on a family trip to The Children’s Museum in Indianapolis. While we were there, we visited the planetarium to see a show about the Moon. The show was narrated by the voice of Tim Allen and discussed the Google Lunar XPrize. Please view the short video clip below to learn more about this.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=O9FMi3RY8kc

If businesses continue to create projects like this that allow Net Geners and others to collaborate and be creative, then we are giving people the opportunity to “solve today’s problems”. Personally, I would love to attend one of the universities or work for one of the businesses that have embraced this project.

 
While many businesses are working diligently to incorporate new technology, other businesses are still lagging behind. In my classroom last fall we were certainly lagging behind many schools in the lower 48 in terms of technology available in the classroom. My classroom was equipped with 3 classroom computers, a Smart Board (1 for the school), and a separate lab that we could visit once a week. I incorporated technology whenever I could ensuring that my students had time to use different software programs such as Lexia, Google Sketch-Up 8, and Microsoft Office. Additionally, when my students were in the computer lab we tried to work on long term projects that I could tie into the curriculum rather than simply working on typing skills or math review. Still, many of my students were spending more time with technology at home than they were in my classroom. So, I created a classroom website for my students and parents to visit. The parents could receive support with mathematics homework and reading skills, while the students could visit my Symbaloo page to access websites for practice in math and reading. Even though I am trying to implement things inside and outside of my classroom to help students keep up in today’s digital society, I still feel there is more I can do as an educator to be sure that my students have the skills necessary to be successful in today’s digital world.

 

Thoughts on Born Digital by Palfrey and Gasser:

 
In Born Digital, Palfrey and Gasser seem to shed more light on how Net Geners are impacting the business world. “The shift is on: In a few short years, businesses have gone from ignoring informal groups of Digital Natives getting together online to obsessing about ways to monetize their enthusiasm,” (Palfrey and Gasser, 2010). They discussed the many ways digital natives are influencing today’s society through online platforms like Facebook. Palfrey and Gasser go on to discuss how digital natives excel at creating services and products that can appeal to digital natives. This is similar to how Best Buy is using digital natives to keep their employees active in the company (Tapscott, 2008).

 

Educators, can use sites like Teachers Pay Teachers to create, share, and even sell lessons/activities they have created for the classroom. Sites like these, often created by digital natives, offer opportunities for educators to reflect on their teaching and improve their skills as a teacher.

 

In the classroom we can encourage our students to build their digital skills by giving our students time to develop their creativity and explore different digital tools available to them. One important thing to remember is to use technology effectively. Sometimes I think we simply try to give our students time on the computer using programs for instance, while this is valuable we also need to give our students time to explore and create online.

 

Resources:

 
Clements, Mark. The Importance of Reflection in Education. Retrieved online from http://www.edunators.com/index.php/becoming-the-edunator/step-5-reflecting-for- learning/the-importance-of-reflection-in-education

“Doing Impossible Things: Google Lunar XPrize Team Summit”. (2013) Retrieved online from
http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/media/videos/doing-impossible-things-google-lunar-xprize- team-summit-2013

Palfrey, John and Gasser, Urs. (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives.
[On-line] Retrieved June 16, 2014 from: http://site.ebrary.com/id/10392430?ppg=8

Tapscott, Donn. (2008). Growing Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World.
McGraw Hill Professional Publishing: New York, New York.

Teachers Pay Teachers. Retrieved online from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/

Reflecting on How My Experience as a Student Has Changed My Perspective as a Teacher

Sometimes it is hard to believe that I am that much older than the students I teach.  I realize I am, and my own children make comments like, “Mom, things are different now,” or “Everyone has a cell phone now,” which continually remind me that I am “older”.  Still, I guess I don’t feel that far removed from my children and students, but as my kids point out often, I suppose in some ways I am.

Chapter 5 from Tapscott’s Grown Up Digital made me reflect on my education and the way I teach now.  I am a firm believer in students constructing meaning for their learning whether it be math or reading.  As Eric Mazur said, “Students have to connect the information to what they already know, develop mental models, learn how to apply the new knowledge, and how to adapt this knowledge to new and unfamiliar situations,” (as cited in Tapscott, 2008).  As I teach I try to create situations where my students are able to model how they solve problems rather than me simply telling them how I want them to solve problems.

When I was in elementary school, I was often told which algorithm to use to solve a problem.  I love numbers so this method worked well for me and I was able to recall how to solve problems using the given algorithms.  That being said, I did not always understand why certain methods worked.  Nor do I ever recall telling other students how I solved a problem.  I do remember occasionally solving a problem on the board but I was never required to provide a verbal explanation.  As a teacher, I require my students to explain their thinking.  This is an excerpt taken from my final portfolio:

In my classroom, I really try to help my students understand the different algorithms for solving problems involving the four operations.  I also encourage my students to be able to construct meaning as they solve different problems.  When my students work through word problems I will often have them try them alone first.  Then I will give them time to work with their group members to solve the problem again.  After 5-10 minutes (sometimes 15) one person from each group will explain how the problem was solved to the rest of the class.  Then I award them points; I give a 1, 2, or 3.  Things I consider are how well they explained their response, effort, and how they got to the answer.  I am not always looking for a correct response, but more for perseverance and critical thinking.

How I teach is very different from how I was taught.  As I entered into college I began to work more in collaborative situations.  I often entered these situations with dread, though, because I was so used to working independently.  As I started working with others I felt the usual fear of, “Oh, no.  I am going to have to do all the work again.”  However, the more I worked in groups, the more I realized that with clear expectations and guidance from the instructor, collaborative work could really benefit me as a learner.  Now, as an educator I am able to provide experiences for my students to work collaboratively in a safe and fun learning environment.

4 Key Components of a Collaborative Classroom taken from What Is the Collaborative Classroom?

1. Shared knowledge among teachers and students
2. Shared authority among teachers and students
3. Teachers as mediators
4. Heterogeneous groupings of students

 

(Tinzmann, M.B., Jones, B.F., Fennimore, T.F. & et. al, 1990).

 

Most of these key components were not part of my classroom as I moved through elementary school and into middle and high school.  As I mentioned previously, my teacher gave us information as we were expected to learn it.  In today’s society, students want to learn by collaborating with their teachers; teachers can provide ideal learning situations for their students and the students can then construct meaning for math, reading, and/or whatever they may be studying.

 

The second key component discussed is that teachers and students share authority.  This is very different than when I was in school.  Very rarely did I get to set goals or help decide how I learned.  I did get to participate in a gifted program during 6^th grade.  During this program I was able to choose a topic for my independent study project.  This was probably one of the most valuable experiences of my 6^th grade year because I got to pick my topic and set my own goals as I progressed throughout the project.  My daughter was able to do something similar to this, though more in depth during her 6^th grade year at Roger’s Park Elementary School.  She participated in a R.O.P.E.S project or Rite of Passage Experience.  She created a video of her experience and presented for a board made of community members.  This was a great experience for her.

 

Another key component is “the teacher acts as a mediator”.  I feel like different articles on collaborative learning keep coming back to this idea.  So rather than elaborate further I think it is safe to say that the teacher needs to allow students time to work with their peers to discuss new content while providing support when needed.  Often times I find myself acting more as a facilitator in my classroom.  Granted, I still take time to model different strategies in math, for instance, before I have my students explore on their own.

 

Finally, the last key component touched on in the article What Is the Collaborative Classroom? Is heterogeneous grouping.  When I was a student I don’t really remember being put in groups.  I certainly don’t remember discussing things with my “shoulder partner” or “face partner”.  In my classroom today I find myself having the students constantly interacting with me or their peers.  Students participate in things like Mix-Pair-Share or Rally Coach to ensure they are constantly engaged and working with peers.  I very rarely pair students who are low with a high student; this seems unfair to always do this to the higher student while the lower student doesn’t get to do much work.  Rather I try to use ideas I learned from Kagan trainings.  I pair high with medium students or medium-high students, and I pair low students with either medium or medium-low students.  Then the students are all engaged and I can “mediate” or “facilitate” as need be.  Most of the time the students are able to talk through everything with each other without needed much support from me.

 

 

In general my goal as a teacher is to help students discover who they are as individuals so they are able to work collaboratively in a safe and comfortable environment, (taken from my resume from 2009).

 

One site that I discovered that offers a technology based unit of study can be found at: https://courses.mooc-ed.org/cdl1/preview

This course offers relevant tools and resources for technology coaches and teachers, as well as anyone else who is interested in the digital learning initiative.  The course also offers a personalized way to integrate the things learned throughout the mooc into your classroom.  Finally, I like that you are able to set goals and create an action plan.  The course has already been completed and was presented by North Caroline St. University.  Other strengths of the course include a course outline, educator expectations are provided, and the course will be offered again in Fall 2014.  Another really great thing about this course is that it is FREE!  It is funded by The Friday Institute.  This course is open to anyone who is interested in the digital learning initiative.

Suggestions: The participant expectations are fairly clear, but can be made clearer with a rubric.

As I have been searching for technology based lessons I came across two great sites.  One suggests having students remix content using sites such as Glogster, ThingLink, or TED-ed.  I am really excited about the possibly of using TED-ed in the classroom.  Check out this article as well: http://facultyecommons.org/ted-ed-flipping-videos-into-interactive-lessons/

 

 

Resources:

Kagan Learning Structures. [On-line]. Retrieved June 9, 2014 from www.kaganoline.com/index.php

 

Lambries, Sara. (2014).  My Professional Portfolio Goal 2: Human Growth and Development.

[On-line] Retrieved June 10, 2014 from http://myportfoliomathed.weebly.com/goal-2-human-development.html

 

Palfrey, John and Gasser, Urs. (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital

 Natives.[On-line] Retrieved June 1, 2014 from      http://site.ebrary.com/id/10392430?ppg=8

 

Tapscott, Donn. (2008). Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World.

               McGraw Hill Professional Publishing: New York, New York.

 

Tinzmann, M.B., Jones, B.F., Fennimore, T.F., Bakker, J., Fine, C., & Pierce, J. (1990). What Is the

Collaborative Classroom? [On-line]. Retrieved June 10, 2014 from http://www.arp.sprnet.org/Admin/supt/collab2.htm

 

 

 

 

“Information Overload”: What can we do?

Simply writing the blog for this week leaves me with a feeling of “overload”.  “Information overload occurs when the amount of information that is available exceeds a person’s ability to process it (“he or she is receiving too much information”),” (Palfrey & Gasser, 2010).  I feel as though I have a great many thoughts on this topic, however I am not sure how to concisely share my ideas and the ideas of others.

There is a great deal of information for parents and teachers on the subject of overload, though there is much debate as to whether or not “information overload” can actually be diagnosed as an illness. According to Palfrey and Gasser, ultimately, “Parents and teachers must work with kids to teach them the skills they will need to manage all the information that can enrich their lives in a digital era,” (2010, p. 203).  This seems to be the overlying ideal I have taken away from this week’s readings/videos.  Regardless of how one feels about the information our students/children receive, as the adults in our children’s and students’ lives, we are responsible for helping our children deal with overload and the information they receive.

So, how do we help our children deal with overload?  Palfrey and Gasser speak about the many issues with overload while Tapscott shares positive aspects of the multitude of information being thrown at people today.  Rather than side with one particular author, I relate to ideals from each text.  As is true in today’s society, we are able to construct our own meaning by pulling from many different resources.  Palfrey and Gasser discuss how, “The constant use of digital technologies can place a strain on families, friendship, and classrooms,” (2010, p. 186). Jenny Radesky, a pediatrician and mother noticed that many parents at different restaurants are more absorbed in their devices than in interactions with their children.  The Boston University Medical Center went to different fast-food restaurants in the Boston area and observed 55 interactions of anonymous “non-participants”.  The researchers noticed how these non-participants failed to respond to their children’s requests for attention, simply returning to their devices without responding (Pediatrics as cited by Bowerman, Mary, 2014). Teachers and parents can help alleviate this problem by leading by example.  Parents can achieve this by setting aside a time when all digital devices are set aside, enjoying a dinner sans devices, or by refusing to answer texts while driving.

Other ways to deal with information overload are: focusing less time on each piece of information; using filtering devices such as accessing only scholarly journals or using search engines; or design institutions to absorb inputs such as printing online materials to eliminate distraction of technology (Palfrey & Gasser, 2010).  Parents and teachers can also teach students to chunk material; this is a skill that is often taught as a reading skill in most elementary programs so teaching students to apply this skill for online use should simply be an extension of chunking reading material from books/textbooks.

Besides the many “issues” brought about by information overload discussed by Palfrey and Gasser, there are many benefits to the multitude of information presented to our students and children today.  Tapscott for instance points out that by accessing information on the internet, “Instead of just numbly receiving information, they [students or children] are gathering it from around the globe with lightning speed.  Instead of just trusting a TV announcer to tell us the truth, [they] are assessing and scrutinizing the jumble of facts that are often contradictory or ambiguous,” (Tapscott, 2008, p. 98).  Not only do students have an over abundant amount of information to access, they can also explore this information collaboratively through sites such as Wiki and games which “often require cooperation with opponents to defeat a common enemy offering problems to be solved collaboratively and creatively…,” (Tapscott, 2008).  Wiki offers students the opportunity to watch information evolve as the collaborators gather more information.  This past semester I participated in my first real experience using a wiki page.  I was skeptical at first but actually learned a great deal and was amazed by how much the high school students  and our grad class learned by working with each other to create a wiki page.  I know a few of us were in this class last semester, but if you haven’t checked out our wiki page here it is: http://gamifi-ed.wikispaces.com/ ).  As I consider how students can help educators I find myself reflecting on what Tapscott pointed out in his interview with Wesley Weisberg (not certain of the spelling) saying that, “Teachers need humility to allow the kids to lead to some extent,” (retrieved online from http://edet635uas.weebly.com/week-three.html).  As teachers and parents we need to be willing to lead sometimes and allow our children and students to help guide us at other times.  Providing guidance for our children as they deal with “information overload” is certainly important, still as our children/students become more and more tech savvy, we as educators/parents can learn a great deal by allowing our students to help us navigate technology.

 

Finally, as I was researching for this week’s blog posting I came across another text blog suggesting another text that contradicts Palfrey and Gasser’s thoughts on being “Born Digital”.  Steven Poole discusses how Nicholas Carr views the overload of information people receive from the internet in his book, The Shallows.

 

Resources:

 

Bowerman, Mary. (2014). Kids not the only ones guilty of too much screen time. USA Today. Retrieved

online from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/10/caregivers-mobile-device-use/6174023/

 

Gamifi-ED Wiki Page. (2014) Retrieved online from http://gamifi-ed.wikispaces.com/

 

Palfrey, John and Gasser, Urs. (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives.

               [On-line] Retrieved June 1, 2014 from: http://site.ebrary.com/id/10392430?ppg=8

 

Tapscott, Donn. (2008). Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World.

               McGraw Hill Professional Publishing: New York, New York.

 

Poole, Steven. (2010). The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember by Nicholas Carr, discussed by Steven Poole. Retrieved online from

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/11/shallows-internet-changing-way-think

 

Responsible Technology

Just wanted to share this photo taken from Kristy Goodwin. As parents and educators, I feel it is important to use technology as a tool. Each tool we use needs to be used effectively.

(Source: Goodwin, Kristy. (2014). Ten Reasons Why Handheld Games Do Not Need to be Banned. Retrieved online from:http://everychancetolearn.com.au/2014/03/10-reasons-handheld-games-need-banned/)

Societies Desire for Choice, Change, and Creativity

The reading for this week’s discussion really made me think about my own experience and my children’s experience with technology.  I can relate to Tapscott who discusses how he “just want(s) it to work” (referring to whatever technology he is using) (Grown up Digital, 78).  When my husband purchased a new laptop so I could work on grad school, I just wanted a laptop that could do “the job”; he, on the other hand, chose one for me that had a bunch of “bells and whistles”.  I use my laptop to work on stuff for school, search the web, post on Facebook, and even watch Netflix.  However, my son enjoys rearranging my desktop, changing my background, making videos, taking pictures, etc.; he wants to be creative and customize my laptop.  (Tapscott, 78-79).  My son loves any opportunity to change things and be creative.

Whereas I don’t necessarily need to personalize my devices, I do find myself requiring “speed”.  Tapscott discusses how many of us may want to “disconnect” however we are afraid we might miss something important (93).  The need for speed is definitely something our society has come to expect.  I find myself growing increasingly frustrated when people do not reply to my emails, texts, or Facebook messages in a timely fashion.  I have one friend in particular who has encouraged me to put down my phone and/or computer.  She only replies to texts or messages when she is truly available to do so.  So, if she is at the park with her kids, she does not reply.  Or, if she is having a conversation with her husband, she does not reply.  I think many of us can learn from this.  Being able to unplug from technology is very important.  So, while we expect speed we should also give others the chance to enjoy life and not expect instant replies.  This is something we can teach our students and children as well. 

We can teach our students and children about many things in regards to fostering their creativity.  As I mentioned, my son really enjoys being able to personalize his devices, but how can we move this creativity into the classroom?  In Born Digital, Palfrey talks about different opportunities online where children can build on already existing written works, also known as fan fiction.  Fan fiction, “is a broadly defined fan labor term for stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator,” (Wikipedia.org).  Fan fiction has existed for years in the form of print.  Students have been asked to continue a story or write a different ending to a story when I was in elementary school.  Today, students are doing this online in a very public format.  The children/teenagers (even adults) are able to collaborate with fellow writers on different stories.  While there is a risk of copyright infringement, building on stories is a great way to get students writing.  Also, as students post their fan fiction online their works can be immediately evaluated and commented on. “The online medium of fanfiction allows for immediate response from and interactive discussion with a diverse group of peer-reviewers,” (Black).  Fan fiction is one way students can improve literacy while creating and collaborating online.

 

Another way to foster creativity is to let our children and students play MMOG’s like World of Warcraft; these games allow the players to create the game as they go.  I will be the first to admit that I do not necessarily buy into the idea that games of this nature are truly educational.  Still, I do see how these games can be creative outlets for our students as Palfrey discusses in Born Digital.  Additionally, others would argue that MMOG’s like World of Warcraft can offer students the opportunity to collaborate, create, focus on literacy, and teachers can differentiate instruction (Dunn, Edudemic.com).

The internet is making it possible for students to create anything from original movies or photos to “mash ups” of different songs created by a number of authors.  Our role as educators should be to encourage children to use technology to help them be creative while giving our student the choice to express themselves in a way that helps them learn best. 

 

 

 

Resources:

Black, Rebecca. (2012). Online Fanfiction: What Technology and Popular Culture Can Teach Us About

Writing and Literacy Instruction. Retrieved online from: http://education.jhu.edu/PD/ newhorizons /strategies/topics/literacy/articles/online-fanfiction/

Dunn, Jeff. (2012). 4 Ways to Use Massively Multiplayer Online Games In The Classroom. Retrieved

               Online from: http://www.edudemic.com/mmorpg-classroom/

Fan Fiction. Retrieved online from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction

Palfrey, John and Gasser, Urs. (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives.

               [On-line] Retrieved May 20, 2014 from:   http://site.ebrary.com/id/10392430?ppg=8

 

Tapscott, Donn. (2008). Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World.

               McGraw Hill Professional Publishing: New York, New York.

 

Growing Up in Today’s Digital Society

I found many of the points discussed in this week’s reading to be interesting so I picked two to discuss.  The first point mentioned was about collaboration and how learning is different in the digital age.

Tapscott discusses collaboration on page 18 in his book Grown Up Digitial.  He states, “The new Web is a communications medium that enables people to create their own content, collaborate with others, and build communities,” (18, 2008).  In today’s digital age people are able to collaborate by using sites such as Wiki. A wiki allows the user(s) to read and change content “in collaboration with others” on just about any given topic (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki/). People can also build communities by playing games such as Minecraft and World of Warcraft.  Games like Minecraft can actually teach students digital citizenship by helping students work together in online settings.  Palfrey and Gasser (2008), discuss how digital citizenship is so important to teach our students.  Imagine engaging our students in games such as Minecraft to help them learn how to be behave and communicate safely on the internet.  Actually using the internet is much more engaging than simply discussing how one should behave on the internet.

I found this quick YouTube video that briefly describes how Minecraft can be used in the classroom.

 

A second point Tapscott explains is how many Net Gen children are not willing to simply accept what they are given.  Net Geners “are the active initiators, collaborators, organizers, readers, writers, authenticators…,” (21, 2008).  Net Geners “inquire, discuss, argue, play, shop, critique, investigate, ridicule, fantasize, seek, and inform,” (Tapscott, 2008).  I can recall on several different occasions when a student might ask a teacher a question where he/she did not have an answer for the students.  In the past, students would return the next day and the teacher would provide the answer to whatever question was asked.  In today’s digital world, teachers no longer need to seek out these answers because their students’ are doing it for them.  Students today, enjoy searching on the internet and finding answers to their questions.

On the flip side, a common argument for this would be that, “They’re [kids are] dumber than we were at their age,” (Tapscott, p. 3, 2008).  Some people say things like, “They don’t read and are poor communicators,” (Bly, Robert as cited in Tapscott, 2008).  Many parents and even employers would agree with this statement.  In my personal experience, I see families who go out to dinner and rather than communicate with one another they are each on a tablet, pc, or cell phone while they wait for their meal to arrive.  Mark Bauerlein and Harpaz “worry that kids who can look up instructions on the internet or their cell phones won’t learn how to “figure things out or solve problems,”” (as cited by Joyner, James 2010).  Some people would argue that when students are faced with difficult problems that require critical thinking, students often given up and look for “cheats” or answers on the internet.  These are just a few examples of why some people feel children are “dumber than we were at their age”.

Here again one could argue the other way as well; I have spent time playing Minecraft with my children while they designed and built playgrounds for a STEM lesson.  My children did an excellent job designing and constructing the playgrounds; they learned a great deal about the engineering process and had fun doing it.  So, does “going digital” really mean our children have to be “dumber”?  I don’t think so, however it seems clear that too much technology can have a negative impact on how we interact with other people.  While technology can serve as a medium for communication and collaboration there is still great value in face-to-face communication.

 

 

Resources:

Tapscott, Donn. (2008). Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your        World.  McGraw Hill Professional Publishing: New York, New York.

 

“Wiki” Retrieved Online from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.

 

Using Minecraft as an Educational Tool. (2013). Retrived online May 20, 2014 from

http://www.edutopia.org/made-with-play-game-based-learning-minecraft-video

 

Palfrey, John and Gasser, Urs. (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation     of Digital Natives.   [On-line] Retrieved May 20, 2014 from:           http://site.ebrary.com/id/10392430?ppg=8

 

Joyner, James. (2010). The Dumbest Generation: Does Technology Make Kids Dumb? Retrieved Online

May 20, 2014 from: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/the-dumbest-generation-does-technology-make-kids-dumb/

Week 12: Hard to believe…

Well, this week marks the 12th week of class.  This week we are supposed to blog about our contributions to the project and the progress the group has made.  Our group has made some great progress this week though I don’t feel that I have been much help.  Despite becoming more  familiar with Minecraft over the course of the semester, I still feel I have much to learn.

On Saturday our session on Minecraft went off without a hitch.  Well, unless you count the many times I was trapped by Thomas.  I recall Colin asking several times, “Where’s Tiffany?”  Then Tiffany would respond with, “Thomas!”   I know I spent a portion of my time hiding from Thomas.  All things considered, it was fun to work with each other and create a video for our game.

This week our group has worked on putting it all together.  Nicole, I believe has been working on putting everything into one location.  Colin and Chris have spent some time working on the trailer.  I spent some time editing our role cards a little bit; I used information added to the page by Tomas and Thomas.  Our group is also working on submitting bios to Colin by today, hopefully.  I just submitted mine, though I think I may email him again to add a bit of what I enjoy in my free time.   I am also thinking that I will try to map out some standards tonight.  Right now, though all I can think about is moving.  YUCK!

Our group seems to work well together.  It is challenging sometimes when all of us are so busy teaching, hanging out with our families, and trying to take grad classes.  I am ready for the weekend.

Progress Made on Our Game (During the Week of March 31-April 5th)

This week we met a few times as a team.  On Tuesday I met with Nicole and Chris to discuss the role cards for our game.  I helped work on the card for Katniss and helped proofread the other cards.  Then on Thursday our group met again to discuss game mechanics and our presentation.  We also discussed the nature of the presentations during our twitter session on Thursday.  Finally, the group met Thursday evening, however I was unable to attend due to family obligations.

During Thursday’s meeting we discussed exactly what we are presenting and when we need to have it completed.  We also discussed how we will present our projects.  Nicole started up a ThingLink for our central “spot” for our project.  We also discussed what we will link to our ThingLink such as our Google presentation, a movie-style trailer for the game, licensing information, Code of Laws, and a clear explanation of how a player “wins”.

Today, Saturday, we will be meeting as a group in Minecraft to film a short movie-style trailer.  We will try to show prospective players what game play will look like.  I am excited to participate in this later today. Also this weekend each of us will be working on creating our little intro videos.  I am not sure what this will look like, and am hopeful that other members from my group will have a better picture of what should be included in these videos.  Finally, over the weekend and continuing through next week, I will be working on going through and reviewing the various pieces of the presentation for content holes and formatting.

I am excited to see how our game and presentation turn out.  Looking forward to a fun week!