Utilization of Tools
I have mentioned this numerous times in these blogs. Technology is everywhere from the stove we use in our kitchens to the devices we use for school or entertainment. In other words, technology is everywhere, and it is inescapable. So, why can’t we take advantage of it and utilize the tools that are available to us to make our lives much easier and our education more accessible. A recent example of this is artificial intelligence. No, it is not a new thing as we have had Apple’s Siri, Samsung’s Bixby, Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana and Copilot, and Google’s Google Assistant for a long time now. These are artificial intelligence that help us in our daily lives, such as making appointments for us or searching up a definition of a word without the need to type. These tools can make our lives easier and more efficient.
A recent example is ChatGPT. Since it came out in November of 2022, it has gained a lot of attention, and more users are signing up for it every day. Since it came out, people have been using it in many ways. One way that people use it is for their education. Using ChatGPT, along with other AI tools, they can upload different files like PDFs, DOCs, and more. Particularly, students upload their lecture notes into ChatGPT and ask the AI to create an exam outline for them. They can also ask ChatGPT to create flashcards for them. This lessens the time the student needs to take to study course materials since they do not have to manually create flashcards or write outlines. The only downside to this is that the user does not have the control which information ChatGPT includes into those outlines or flashcards. So, if you are choosing to use AI tools, ensure that the product it is giving you is accurate and includes all the information you need to pass your courses.
Teaching, Digital Citizenship, and My Perspective
Side note: I will be mentioning and using this website about digital citizenship. Feel free to also check it out!
As I plan to utilize the technological tools that are provided to me in my life, I also plan to take advantage of it in my future classroom. According to this website, Digital Access refers to the “equitable distribution of technology and online sources.” In my classroom, I plan to use websites/applications like Google Classroom or Canvas, or something else if a better application is made available for me to use. By using these websites, I can upload the material that my students will need in their studies. I will have both the digital copies on these sites for them to easily access, along with having physical printed copies in the circumstance that they were not able to print it off themselves or they have the initial copy I gave them. This way, everybody in my class will have access to all the materials.
In terms of Digital Communication and Collaboration, these applications are also a foundation for a sense of community since my students will be able to communicate with other students and ask them questions regarding the topic of learning in the class. Another great application for this is Discord, since it is an app where many communities are built from fans of musicians to getting homework help to fans of certain video games. These two aspects combined teach students Digital Fluency and Digital Responsibility. They enhance their digital fluency by being used to navigating through different online resources like the mentioned applications and websites, while also learning how to help others that need it.
Overall, I think that this website does an amazing job teaching people what Digital Citizenship is. Not only does it state several things that pertain to the individual person, but it also guides them to be aware of the dangers and harms of being online and to know when and how to help the people around them.
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