Growing Up Online

I feel torn after watching Digital Nation and Growing Up Online. There were so many upsetting facts brought to my attention, from gaming addictions, cyber bullying to online anorexia forums. But then there were so many exciting things to hear about, from high schools being helped by technology to people creating positive identities online. This mixed review of feelings is often how I feel about technology.

I am sometimes scared of the disconnection the technology age is causing. The videos pointed out the harsh reality of teenagers living a hidden life that can sometimes be damaging to themselves. But at other times, I am so excited of what I can create digitally, and more importantly what my students can do with technology. I found these videos to be empowering because the films didn’t necessarily side with pro-technology or anti-technology. Instead, the films offered a variety of information and examples that allowed the viewer to be more educated on our digital world.

I feel this video helps to point our largest problem with living in a digital age: Finding a balance. The Korean gamer section of Digital Nation was really eye opening. We have to wonder if technology is always a positive if it can bring us to a point of addiction. This sad truth makes it that much more important for teachers to promote healthy technology use. But, the reality is that is comes down to parent support of appropriate technology use. This, as the movies reveal, can be such a juggle, especially when children are experiencing adolescence and are trying to find out who they are. 

In Digital Nation, we discover that bringing technology into a classroom can go as far as saving a failing school. We also saw how traditional teachers, who don’t incorporate technology, struggle to keep digital natives engaged in the classroom. This reminds of me of teachers I have met in my undergraduate teaching experience. I feel that our top challenge as educators is keeping our student engaged.

I think back to classrooms I observed in that didn’t have technology integration and to the ones that did. I have to say; the students were more engaged where there was technology. I recall a classroom that used audio books with mp3 players. I remember the sense of excitement from the students from this new opportunity. Although the effort was small, the student reaction was big. Although we have to be careful of how we use technology, we clearly can’t be afraid of using it in our classrooms.

I feel that in my short two years of teaching I have proven to myself that technology can bring great things to our students. In my first year of teaching, I didn’t have the time to embrace technology use as much. This past year, I taught my students how to use more programs, how to run the smart board, how to manage audio books, how to properly use Accelerated Reader and track their own progress, etc. With just a few added elements of technology, I felt a better sense of engagement from my students. I also attribute my increased test scores to technology tools that I incorporated this past school year. I am so excited to see what the next few years brings as I learn more tools and methods to experiment with in my classroom.