The Digital Generation

The Digital Generation

     I am part of the digital generation even though I don't understand all that technology has to offer. The extent on my technology use is as follows; I have a smart phone, I text, I video chat, I now blog, I use social networking, and I can use Microsoft Office and PowerPoint effectively. I hope to become more technology savvy before I have my first teaching position so I can better equip my students to learn. 

     When I looked at the youth portraits in edutopia I was in awe of the technology they engage in and understand! There is an eleven year old, Cameron, who is a video producer! Comparatively, I know the bare minimum on how to use a video recorder. Half of the students in the youth portraits participate in gaming. I haven't played a game since fourth grade when my parents gave me Roller Coaster Tycoon, which I really enjoyed because I got to create my own amusement park and watch it become a successful business. I also remember playing JumpStart games that helped me learn how to add, subtract, multiply  etc.Two of the youth in the portraits use technology to express themselves through graphic designing and animation. Incorporating multiple ways for students to express themselves in a classroom would be ideal. I really like how Virginia would take time to educate younger students on technology safety because some people they play games or chat with might not have good intentions and it is important to make children aware of that.

     I think a majority of my peers have a broader range of technology skills than myself because I choose to engage minimally with technology. Many of my friends are bloggers which I just started because it is required for a class. There is only one school aged child I interact with well enough to understand how much they use technology, and she is a nine years old. Once when I was babysitting her she was working on putting together a PowerPoint on Martin Luther King Jr. She had pictures inserted into the PowerPoint and different colored text. I thought how incredible it was that she was learning how to use this technology at such a young age. I didn't learn how to put a PowerPoint together until I was a sophomore in college. 

     After watching the Digital Generation videos I realized I have a lot to learn before I enter a classroom! I believe in using technology to help students learn and engage in exciting activities but in order for me to succeed in doing that I have to learn how use these technologies. I would define 21st century learning tools as technology integration into the classroom. When I was observing a kindergarten classroom one of the learning centers was a row of computers. The students would log on and get started with the reading/ math games. I was shocked to see these five year old students maneuvering their way on a computer.

      In the video a saw a quick blur of a student using a program on the computer to create a comic strip. I would love to use something like this in my classroom! When I was in middle school I had to complete a book project where I compiled all of my years work into a book. My least favorite part was illustrating it. If students don't like drawing or are timid to try it, using the computer to create images would be very useful. My mom was telling me about this math teacher who participated in 360 math. Her classroom had white boards on all the walls. Instead of having students learn math at their desks and not knowing what they were writing/ understanding she had all her students stand around the room and write on the white board. This was a brilliant idea to keep her students engaged. I would like my students to be interactive in the class and I think one way to do this by having a smart board. Students are drawn to technology and are more interested in participating when technology is present. I would try to have kindles, tablets, and computers in my classroom and have them available for student use.