Interactivity Three

The group was authentic collaborative in many regards. Given the time constraints and busy schedules that we all possess, it was difficult to meet as a group.  Many of us had work or other responsibilities to tend to.  However, the assignment allowed us to collaborate in a way I’ve yet to encounter as a student.  Opening up our spreadsheet is like opening our own personalized database.  We have a plethora of options to choose from; whether it’s to gain personal knowledge, or as an aid to help in tutoring younger students.  I was really shocked to see how the finished product turned out so resourceful.  

In looking up different links, I noticed that not all of the sites rely directly on teaching English through technology.  If you look closely though, there will always be an interest, a question, or something that invokes thought and can be opened up in an English-based classroom.  

This interactivity shed some light onto the teacher observation I just completed for READ 411.  In my reflection, I felt that my teacher relied too heavily on technology in the classroom, specifically Power Point.  What I’m beginning to understand is that he just overly used one technology.  The Power Point presentation served as a lecture guideline, and I saw the class fall into the same boredom we think of in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The point is, technology wasn’t being used as a catalyst toward intellectual development.  If cites were used like planetlesson and huffenglish I personally believe students would become more involved and interested in pursuing the subject not only in educational spheres but on their own as well. 

"Why Teaching Kids Self-Regulation Skills Is Essential"

How parents and teachers can help students develop digital media learning strategies

This article focuses on the importance of regulating learning strategies in the digital media world.  Technological skills are likely to give students a competitive edge in their prospective work spheres, but handing a student a laptop does not guarantee he/she will use it in a creative or beneficial manner.  When so much information is exposed through technological means, how do we regulate our student's proper usage?  Also, the article talks about promoting self-regulation in our students, where they can use technology self-sufficiently in it's most efficient purposes.  The article gives some advantageous tips we can teach our students in analyzing and reflecting on the information they are exposed to.

Portlandia IFC

How the technological loop can overcome our best intentions. (funny clip)

This humorous parody doesn't stray all that far from reality.  At a time when social media consumption is unparalleled to anytime we've ever known, when does it become too much?  How do we regulate healthy technological habits?  Also, what constitutes a healthy technological life?

The History of Technology

In my efforts toward becoming a confident and well-rounded educator; I try and take as many real-life examples and attribute them to something positive and relatable in my prospective classroom.  My father always said to me, "Life's about moderation.  Too much of anything is never any good."  Of course, there's wiggle room with this, but I've always found that when I cut myself off from over-indulging in something, it most often proves beneficial.  In the article, A Social History of Media and Technology in Schools, the reader is reminded of the negative impacts of relying too heavily on one source of educating.  During the interview, Grace travels through her family's lineage of educators, and in just about every one, there is an instance where the educator was conscience of the dangers of becoming dependent on any one source (visual aids, radio/film, television).  The article shares the anxieties of these educators, “How can you compare something so spontaneous with something so scripted? How is a television going to stop and answer when a student has a question?” I think she felt her principal was trying to put a different spin on the same efficiency-oriented model that my grandmother rejected back in the 1920s" (Domine 45).  The more research I take in, the larger my anxieties often seem to get.  As I noticed in the article, some of these 'teacher anxieties'  are good, and are only attributed to the desire to become a better educator.  

I personally feel that television had the greatest impact technologically on the process and transcendence of education.  The article, I feel put it well, "It really drove home for me that TV and film - both as technologies and media - are powerful agents of history, politics, and society at large"(46).  Much of this statement is true, however, it's vital that we stay analytical.  Like when Bessie had her students analyze the marketing agenda of McDonalds.  Taking anything for face value can be devastating, by teaching our students to think critically, we will better allow ourselves to use technology in its most positive sense.  As Rethinking Technology in Schools wisely put it, “Technology is merely a vehicle through which the young consumer can attain social, cultural, and economic power" (p. 41) It's a progressive tool that allows us to create success for ourselves.  In retrospect, one can think back to the American Dream taking on a new wave, where we have access and ability to more knowledge and presumably a better life.  

Remember, "too much of anything is never any good." 

Works Cited

Domine, Vanessa. "A Social History of Media, Technology and Schooling." The National Association for Media Literacy Education’s Journal of Media Literacy Education 1 (2009): 42-52. JMLE. Web. 1 Feb. 2012. .

Domine, Vanessa. "Rethinking Technology in Schools Primer." New York: Peter Lang, 2009. Print.

Technology, In our Everyday Lives

Ranking Technological Devices:
1. Macbook Pro
2. iPhone 4s
3. Nikon Coolpix Camera

First and foremost, I have to get to know my students.  Olivia's life differs drastically than the one I am accustomed to.  You can't have blinders on as an educator, everyone has a different life (responsibilities, economic circumstances, interests, etc).  I enjoy using the philosophy that the personal is political.  In many areas of New Jersey, Olivia's living situation is commonplace.  Therefore, as an educator we have to be understanding on what we can and cannot assign.  Technology is not as accessible as it is in more affluent parts of New Jersey, and that plays a major role in our pedagogical teaching methods.  Olivia was very determined in her efforts to become technologically savvy, and not all of my students will share this same level of interest.

I look at my three technologies and think to myself, Man, I’m a slave to technology.  I have the latest computer, latest cellphone, latest everything.  The question as to how these technologies have shaped my life is more complex than I’d first imagined.  I can honestly tell you that I am a happier person with these material items.  But then, I look around a restaurant or a bar on a Friday night, and see the majority of social groups texting or updating social networking cites.  So, is this really the path toward occupying a more fulfilled happy life? I wonder if we are becoming more detached from reality with the advances in technology, or we as a society are just adapting to a new world centered around networking and technology.  I am not sure what the future brings, or whether or not I’m comfortable with my personal immersion into technology, but for the mean time I am going to continue “going with the times.”

Technology has helped me learn new information at a faster rate.  Answers to questions that sprout in my head are always readily accessible.  If you use these technologies to gain new information, and constantly remind yourself to use them positively, they can really prove to be beneficial.  My iPhone helps me become a more well-rounded person.  If I have a question about something from a different culture, I can look it up and at least get a brief understanding of what I previously had no knowledge of. Olivia’s heart-warming story brought me some guilt.  It’s hard to be appreciative of the items you possess on an everyday basis; stories like the one she offered us, remind me of how lucky I am.  I’m not sure if I would go the lengths she went to access technology if I were in her place.  It bothers me to say this, but I believe it would be the case.  Putting this aside, we both expressed ourselves similarly through the use of technology.  One of my favorite interests is posting meaningful pictures on the internet.  In her case, she posted pictures of her mother, big sister, etc.  I enjoy freezing moments in everyday life that arouse meaning.  Those times when the sun’s rays seem to hit you right, and given the emotional state you’re in... whether your thinking about a girl, or about how much you love your brother, or friends... all of these moments where the environment and your emotions come together to inspire you with feelings that seem inexpressible.  Take a picture, and you have it for life.