I think that I may have unintentionally given the
wrong impression with my first blog post...I don’t hate technology, nor do I
want it all to go away. I just feel that maybe we are a little too connected to
the gadgets, apps, and techie-stuff in our lives, and not as connected as we
could be to each other. I believe that
technology has its place, and that place should not be in our hands and in
front of our faces during every waking hour.
I realize that most of my keywords didn’t really
focus on any positive aspects of technology, so I researched a few things that look
at it with a more optimistic lens. I
might have gotten a bit carried away with finding positive information, but I
really am wanting to feel good about technology, get rid of the fear, and
become a Digital Native, instead of a Digital Immigrant. The only way that I can start doing that is
to really examine the effects that technology is having on every aspect of
teaching, not just the negative side-effects of too much technology for the
students.
So I will start with my optimistic articles, blogs,
and video presentations, which are as follows:
Lists the positive effects of technology in the
classroom
50 Web 2.0 Tools listed, with four main
categories: Social Learning, Learning, Lesson Planning & Tools, and Useful
Tools
Lists five positive effects that technology
has had on education
The linking of Gardner’s Multiple
Intelligences with utilizing technology in the classroom, links to many other
articles and education blogs!
Blog explaining what social learning is (a
term that I am not familiar with), and positing whether or not it works. There are some interesting statistics and graphs
that illustrate the growth and popularity of social networking/learning.
-
TED Talk
about the positive benefits of the child-driven education, when children are
exposed to technology when they have never seen it, and how they are still able
to teach themselves how to use it. This particular talk by Sugata Mitra,
introduced me to the concept of “The Grandmother Method”, and its positive
effects on improving student learning.
I still wanted to include a couple of my
original keywords, so I chose the ones that I can link to the above research,
in the hopes of creating a balance in my outlook on technology in the
classroom.
Digital Burnout
Article that discusses the advent of digital
burnout, how it is affecting individuals, and other countries, and new tools
that are being developed to help people manage it.
Insightful blog on one woman’s journey to unplug
for 30 days to relieve the stress of digital burnout, and advice on how other’s
can take tech-free holidays, even if they are staying at home.
Technological Saturation
This blog looks at technological saturation
on a more personal level, and the ways in which in it encroaches on our time.
Good Paper on the effects of technological
saturation, the ethics (or lack there-of) involved in the continuing
development of technology, and how Art can bring a return to our connectedness
with nature, so it’s not a nature vs. technology situation, but more of a
symbiotic relationship between the two)
