I find it absolutely amazing to see how critical any digital technology has become to our society, inside of the classroom and out. Looking back just 20 years, we see that life was so different without the high degree of technology use in everyday life we have today. I definately see it as a beneficial tool, but it seems that one needs to really keep on top of things in order to keep educated about safe usage of these tools. Jumping onto the bandwagon is one thing, doing so safely is something else entirely!
Simply skimming the top of what I've learned this semester in incorporating technology into the classroom, I would say the number one aspect that was stressed was safe usage. I've learned how to use many potentially helpful tools, but what really sticks out is implementing them in a safe manner, both personally, as an educator, and in regards with my students. Some of the aspects that really caught my attention in the last lesson include building students' standards of ethical behavior. This concerns their sense of identity, privacy, and ownership, as well as the trustworthyness and credibility of varying digital information. Teaching students the meaning of being an active member the cyberspace community and safely being an active member therein, is also essential. The great thing is that I am not just thrown in the lake with knowing how to teach these critical elements of technology usage to students. There is a tremendous amount of helpful material and tools in that same digital community, just waiting to be found and utilized in teaching the safe use of itself.
Simply skimming the top of what I've learned this semester in incorporating technology into the classroom, I would say the number one aspect that was stressed was safe usage. I've learned how to use many potentially helpful tools, but what really sticks out is implementing them in a safe manner, both personally, as an educator, and in regards with my students. Some of the aspects that really caught my attention in the last lesson include building students' standards of ethical behavior. This concerns their sense of identity, privacy, and ownership, as well as the trustworthyness and credibility of varying digital information. Teaching students the meaning of being an active member the cyberspace community and safely being an active member therein, is also essential. The great thing is that I am not just thrown in the lake with knowing how to teach these critical elements of technology usage to students. There is a tremendous amount of helpful material and tools in that same digital community, just waiting to be found and utilized in teaching the safe use of itself.
