The digital world

When I think of what classrooms will look like in the future in this age of rapid technological change, I believe they will look very different even 5 or 10 years from now. In my opinion the best way to be prepared for what is to come is to be adaptable as a professional and as a person, always learning and developing professionally so we can be the best teacher in the present for our students. Here in Canada we see our changing demographics skyrocketing demands for different languages in our learning environments, different supports for students who come from around the globe and this all means new technology being adopted that teachers will have to learn to use. Being able to support our students means understanding the technology they use to learn and how they use it to learn. Then using it when possible in our classrooms and not being afraid to explore things that are unfamiliar to us.

I think since covid happened a lot of the world has realized that school, and work in some senses, can be done remotely. Of course this has it’s ups and downs like issues of social isolation but I think through this collective experience those in authority and the general public gained an attitude of acceptance towards remote work/school. While some people may still believe that remote means someone is sitting their pajamas all day doing nothing, the fact is this change has made life more accessible for people such as those with mobility issue or geographical barriers. It also means more participation from people across the globe who maybe could not communicate before. This has also brought in new technologies that allow us to connect with each other in different ways and more resources to familiarize ourselves with.

In the video from this week, it talks about Youtube and how much content is uploaded to the site, about 9000 hours of video every day.  Up to 88% of uploaded videos are new and original. Really staggering numbers when they compare it to ABC, running since 1946, Youtube did in 6 months what ABC had its whole life time. I think this can be reflected across most modern social media apps and I personally include youtube in with those because the reach it has goes across all social media platforms. Through the internet and sites like Youtube, our world gets a little bit smaller and smaller. These tools helps things travel globally and be exposed to cultures and peoples, being enriched by those experiences, becoming phenomenon’s over night. In the youtube video from this week, Wesch says that  viral sensations allow us to connect in ways we never have before and can even invent new ways for us to communicate with each other. I believe as future teachers we either embrace these new ways of learning, these new global platforms, and new ways of communicating or get left behind trying to catch up with this runaway train of innovation.

Trying to balance reality with the digital world I think can be a difficult task, especially with how huge the digital world has become. I believe we have to emphasize education about the digital world, the digital footprint we create and how most of the things in our digital footprint are there forever. Those who have positions of influence and power over kids need to help them understand their is still very real consequences to things you do in the digital world even though it may feel fake because your are behind a screen. Like in our real lives, we need to act responsibly and be ready to be held accountable for our actions online.