Points of Learning and Insight
This course explored the integration of technology into the
classroom, both physically and digitally.
One of the takeaways that was reminded again and again was that
technology should be used to enhance learning, being student-centric, rather
than used for technology’s sake. When
looking at the 2020 Annual Technology Survey results for Vermont, this becomes
even more clear. Technology needs to be
implemented thoughtfully and with a student-centered purpose since not all
students have equal access.
Another important learning point for me was how easy it is
to build a learning network as an educator.
RSS Feeds and Digital Bookmarking can be one helpful tool for this, but
so can Twitter! I had started using
Twitter in the past year or so to connect with other librarians and this was a
wonderful reminder that while Twitter can be a great connection, there are also
dangers to be aware of (Lipsett, 2009).
Where this course intersected more fully with my interest in
the role of librarians in educating students outside of school was in the
exploration of digital citizenship and citizen science. Digital citizenship in particular is an area
where I can offer a lot of passive learning opportunities by posting in our
computer areas some tips or rules to avoid cyberbullies and to report it when
it is seen. Similar to camping, the idea
is that you should leave the area a better place than you found it – or at
least, leave nothing behind. I also
think students need to learn about privacy early since using social media is a
way of communicating with their peers now. Students should be aware of the permanence of
their online interactions and the consequences.
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| "Digital Footprint" by kyteacher is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 |
Going Forward
Going forward, these are facts and opinions that I will be taking with me in my practice. I need to think about technology purposefully, and it is important that I help students become aware of digital citizenship. While I touched on some of the most important points above, I had also been keeping a bullet journal with takeaways throughout the semester. There are three I want to share as they were points that I experienced personally through lesson-planning and screencasts:
- Not all technology is equal, and paid technological tools are not necessarily better than free ones. Example: Ginger vs. Grammarly
- Technology needs to be used with a purpose in class. As with the smartboard examples, it cannot be used simply for the sake of using technology.
- Accessibility can be improved with the use of technology. There are many tools available to help make sure web pages or documents are visually accessible for people who are color blind or have impaired vision; there are grammar tools available for people who have dyslexia or are learning the English language. Closed captioning can be used with videos and even Zoom calls to help students who are hard of hearing. There are many wonderful tools available to assist in pursuit of accessibility.
References
Lipsett, A. (2009). Beware the perils of ‘tweaching’. Mortarboard
Blog: Teaching. https://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2009/may/22/twitter-teacher-tweet
Vermont Agency of Education. (2021). 2020 Annual technology
survey [PDF]. https://education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/edu-2020-annual-technology-survey-report.pdf
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