Blog Journal #2

     From ages 5-12, I primarily used MS Word, and all associated Microsoft Office products, for essentially all of my school assignments. Those assignments included essays, presentations, and data organization. But after I was introduced to Google Docs in middle school, I made the switch and never looked back. Despite being near identical, the unique benefits of Google Docs include easier sharing capabilities, intuitive controls, and a more intuitive UI.

    Out of the 7 tenets of the ISTE Standards for educators, I believe the Learner principle is the most important considering the nature of the ever-evolving world of technology we live in. Not to say teachers need to be up-to-date on every new fangled piece of technology, but they should be fluent in the standard educational technology used in and out of the classroom. Since students are quickly being thrust into a world where technology plays a vital role in high education, jobs, and life overall, they must be taught with the proper technological standard, and teacher's knowledge of technology should reflect this. By staying up to date in educational technology and research, teachers will have the the greatest knowledge they can to properly educate and improve the lives of students. 

    The term "digital native" is used to describe humans who have grown up with modern technology and are therefore fluent in technology, as well as being greatly affected by technology. This term is used in opposition to "digital immigrant," which is used to describe somebody who had to learn modern technology as it became more popular and widely used. I definitely agree with the concept of digital natives, and I can definitely see the contrast between digital natives and digital immigrants. In the classroom, students are quicker with technology, more informed than teachers about new technologies, and I've seen plenty of instances of students showing teachers how to use technology that they use on a daily basis. Sometimes this can lead to a slower pace in learning than I'd like since I and many other students could use the technology more efficiently, however, for the most part, teachers have a relatively good grasp on the technology that we use. I think of the difference between digital natives and digital immigrants as like the difference between perfect pitch and relative pitch. Digital natives are born with perfect pitch, but teachers (digital immigrants) can learn technology and use it almost as effectively (relative pitch). And some are just tone deaf (old people). I find that the difference between student and teacher will be slightly less pronounced when I am of age to become a teacher since my specific generation grew up with this rapid evolution of technology while most of the teachers generation did not.

"my classroom in bonn" by austinevan is licensed under CC BY 2.0.