Looking Back & Looking Foward

 My Time in LIS 724

Looking back on my experience in LIS 724 this summer, I enjoyed the time I spent learning about the monumental impact technology can hold in the classroom. That being said, I don't believe that my thoughts on educational technology have truly change, and if anything, I have become more hesitant towards using technology in the classroom.

Educational technology is an incredible resource. Educators are able to provide their students with instruction, supplemental activities, and resources at a level never experienced before. Through their comprehensive and assistive accessibility features, students are also able to engage in meaningful learning experiences that they otherwise would not have the opportunity to participate in. 

Our expansive access to technology has become a game changer for many educators and students, yet I worry that we are beginning to rely too heavily on technology for our students' sake. I think about an experience that occurred in my classroom this past school year. Following a state assessment, my students were given the choice to read or color until the testing period had finished. When I told my students that they would have to read a physical book, no Epic! since their Chromebooks needed to be shut down after closing the testing browser, they were beside themselves. This group of students was so used to having an unlimited access to technology at their fingertips, that it seemed like a punishment that they had to take a break from technology. Many elementary teachers are witnesses our students' addiction to technology, and I worry that by continuing to incorporate it into the classroom that we are inadvertently feeding this obsession. I could not tell you the amount of times I had to deal with a meltdown - screaming, crying, throwing devices, when I tried to take away or disable a student's school issued device because they were not using it appropriately.

I think that Week 7: Digital Tattoos was the most impactful module for me, for it made me reconsider how I would approach digital citizenship instruction in the classroom going forward. The district I left at the end of May uses Common Sense Education's free online Digital Citizenship Curriculum. There were many aspects of this curriculum that I liked, especially how they include a letter/conversation starter page to send home to parents for them to continue the discussion about responsible and safe internet use at home.

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However, I don't think that our instruction should stop with these monthly lessons. Our students are accessing the internet and social media each and everyday, many unsupervised by adults, and I think that more should be done to make sure students truly understand the permanence of their actions, rather than getting talked at about it one a month. I know that I will be starting a conversation about digital footprints with my students next school year, and I look forward to see what resources or curriculum my new district utilizes to teach these important skills and lessons to students. 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE using technology in the classroom. It allows my students to access information and resources that they can use to engage with the material I am teaching, and have a safe and supervised environment to practice the technological skills they need to successfully operate out in the real world. Also, I can not image planning and prepping lessons and without the use of my computer, Google Drive, Clever, TPT (Teachers-Pay-Teachers), and more. In all, I think that this course has made me re-think how I use and assign technology in the classroom, and I will keep this in mind as I begin to look forward to the 2024-2025 school year.

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