Throughout all my years in school, for as long as I can remember, I have always had to use Microsoft word for assignments for school. I learned how to use it more in middle school and high school when I got a school computer and had to rely on it and the Microsoft software in order to complete most of my assignments. I still prefer Microsoft Word to other word processing software as it is what I am used to using and don’t usually go outside of my comfort zone when it comes to technology. I feel that it is very easy to use and to navigate whether you are using it to take notes, write an essay, put together a resume, etc.
Personally, I feel like out of the ISTE Standards for Educators listed the Designer standard is most meaningful to me. The designer standard states how important it is for the teacher to design activities and a classroom environment that is meant to accommodate students with varying learning abilities. It is important to keep in mind that not all students will always be on the same learning level whether they have a learning disability or just find a certain subject hard to follow. It is also important to keep in mind that everyone learns differently and have to keep those different ways of learning in mind when putting together lesson plans.
When it comes to the label “digital native”, I do not agree with the overall idea behind it. I disagree that everyone born into a more technological era is automatically more comfortable or able to adjust to it. I know plenty of people both friends and family who are much more technologically advanced than I am who were born before the introduction of more advanced technology. I believe that some of the assumptions associated with this term are accurate in some circumstances but are not completely consistent across the board. I have not ever noticed a very big difference between the adjustments having to be made as technology advances and both students and teachers have to adapt at the same pace in order to keep up. I have struggled just as much as some of my teachers have in the past when trying to adjust to these changes.
Hi Savannah, You made a great point about the designer standard in that you can use technology to adapt teaching materials and learning environments in ways that meet students' various learning needs. Technology can definitely make personalized learning much easier. Also, I really liked that you don't generalize the "digital native" concept to all the young population. Though the term has its point, we should be cautious about applying it to all young students without considering their different SES, culture, learning preferences, and other factors. In practice, students of similar ages may have varied learning needs, some of which cannot be fulfilled with technology. Thank you for the very thorough post!
ReplyDeleteSavannah,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how detailed your post was!
I agree with you about getting used to technology and then growing stuck in those ways. Once you get used to doing things a certain way and using specific software, it is difficult to undo those habits and can be frustrating to then learning something new from scratch.
I also love how you described the term "digital native." You opened my eyes to a new perspective on the term and you made several good points. Now that I think of it, I also know of some people older than me that seem to adjust more easily to new technology than I can, which further proves your point. Thank you for sharing your insight on that!
Hello Savannah, great post!!!
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to you I also started out using MS Word and used it for quite some time. In my post I said that I may have even developed an elitist mentality of Word being better than docs. This changed in my junior year of High School when I found that there is an in app filing system that allows for what I believe is better organization than MS Word. I agree with you that it is easy to use and the functionality is good but, for me, I'm just a docs kinda person these days.