The presence of social media is becoming such an essential part of Canadian culture, and world culture as well, that as educators we need to understand the role of technology and its impact on learning and social development. As a high school teacher, I have seen first hand students’ growing desire and need to stay connected all the time. However, in all honesty, this worries me. This is part of the reason why I wanted to take this course.
I want to stay up-to-date with what is going on in the world of technology and its effects on teenage development and learning. In the past I have integrated and demonstrated different manners to use technology to show students various ways that they can strengthen their computer skills and extend curriculum expectations to real world applications. For example, in Gr. 9 English, I had students create a website that embodied an ancient Greek god in the Mythology unit. Students were given a free website platform where they could build and design a site that allowed them to demonstrate their understanding of the chosen god. After compiling research and building the website, students had to take it one step further and join a forum, playing the role of their particular god. It allowed students to interact online but they had to remain in their character’s role the whole time. At the end of the project, students had demonstrated that they had many skills in website design (which definitely is useful for the future), but also could interact in a positive and supportive manner using this form of social media.
Upon reflection, I would definitely do this project again, however I think I would do it where there is a greater access to computers so that students could accomplish more in class rather than at home. I have learned that not all students have equal access to technology at home and this is another issue for us as educators. Integrating technology and social media into our lessons and assessments can be a wonderful thing, but we have to be mindful of the students who have limited access, and therefore, we cannot let the integration of technology become an obstacle for students to reach expectations. We must be mindful that, just like differentiating instruction, we may have to accommodate and lend an extra hand to those students in need.
Through my lessons and assessments, I have done my best to integrate technology and be a role model for students when it comes to selecting information/images/videos and being critical of resources. Unfortunately, many students are still very naive and gullible and believe so much of what they read or see on the net. Therefore, I have made it a goal for myself to show them how to question the validity of sources, to read/listen to people’s opinions and think critically about them, and to think about the impact that technology has on them as a teen and as a society. I truly believe that it is crucial for us as educators to show students that there are many truths and lies out there and that they have to be mature, responsible thinkers. They are constantly bombarded with information and images (many of them fake) and they need to understand how to stay true to themselves and not be so easily persuaded.
This constant presence of media in students’ lives is one of the things that greatly worries me about the young generation. I know that technology is not going anywhere, and I may seem really old school because I am not glued to my phone 24/7, but I honestly believe that students are majorly lacking interpersonal skills and that this will become a huge societal problem in the future. As much as I love to sit down and talk to students, I am always amazed at how they come together in a group yet they all sit there with their phones out, listening to music with earbuds, hardly interacting with one another. They are so consumed by what is the newest thing on Facebook or Snapchat that they are missing out on the great relationships that they should be building with their friends and family. There is more to life than what they see online and they should be open to listening, interacting, and learning from other people. It is these enriching conversations and experiences that actually make us more connected to the world than any phone or tablet. Therefore, while I do believe it is important to integrate the technology into the classroom, I also think that it is crucial to teach students how to unplug, to be confident in themselves and share with the world their strengths and talents. Helping students grow into confident individuals personally and online should be one of our priorities as educators.
