Do schools really need to change? If so, in what ways? 

As a parent and educator, I feel that with the generational, cultural and societal changes, we have to recognize the fact that making changes to our education system is crucial. We not only need to prepare our students to safely navigate in our digital world, but also finding ways to engage them while teaching these skills. Prof. Mary Beth Hertz draws our attention to the importance of taking the time to educate our students about technology and appropriate ways to use social media instead of assuming that our ‘digital native’ youth is on the right path of becoming responsible digital citizens without guidance and mentoring. Just as no one is born being a native speaker of any language, our children need to be taught how to be responsible citizens of our digital world. Bringing technology into our classrooms will also make learning fun and more engaging for our students. 

Is it possible to change our educational system, or is it more likely that the system will be replaced by other forms of education?

I am seeing that our education system is changing. The question is if it is changing at the right pace and if we are heading in the right direction? We definitely need to do more work shifting from the 1990’s teaching style where the role of the educator was to be the ‘monopoly of knowledge’, towards the role of a facilitator guiding students in their journey of creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, as well as developing their ability to synthesize information through project-based learning. The transformation of the education system will certainly look different at the elementary-, middle- and high-school levels as well as at the university. Growing up in Romania, we used to have specialized teachers for every subject matter starting grade 5. I often wonder if a teacher specialized in technology, teaching digital literacy and media literacy would make this shift faster, since it might take a long time for teachers to familiarize themselves and find the right fit to teach through the lens of our digital world. I think that in order to avoid generations missing out on learning how to be digital literate and media literate (Prof. Mary Beth Hertz), offering ‘technology classes’ for all grade levels could be quite beneficial. 

And when I think of the education system being replaced by other forms of education, I agree with Christina Petterson, that no matter how much the education system changes, human interaction is crucial for our students’ emotional development. Me working with EAL (English as an Additional Language) students who face so many challenges when moving to a new country, I cannot imagine them being able to cope with life with having no human interaction. Besides helping them learn English and all the subject matters, our job is also to help them through the nightmare of culture shock, as well as modelling social norms and interactions in Canadian society. In today’s multicultural society our job is getting more and more complex.

What sort of education or education system will be needed to adequately prepare students for the world ahead?

Both Prof. Henry Jenkins and ISTE underline the importance of open education where teachers scan the globe for best practices and collaborate with each other. Teachers of the ‘Future Schools’ in Singapore have the opportunity to watch model lessons in order to learn new ideas and provide suggestions to each other. Through skype sessions educators share best practices and critique lessons with colleagues in their school and with others from around the world. It is important for us to realize the power of sharing, communication and collaboration in order for learning to grow. I feel that providing more time for teachers to share, collaborate and plan together would be beneficial to make our education system more effective. 

What sort of world are we preparing students for?

The world is shaped by us, our values, actions and beliefs. Since technology is a key component in our everyday lives, we need to prepare our students to think and act as responsible citizens in our digital world. By raising adaptable, responsible, empathetic critical thinkers we can guide students towards digital leadership, as described by George Couros, where the Internet and Social Media are being used to improve the lives, well-being and circumstances of others.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to Mary Beth Hertz, Philadelphia high school teacher as well as author of the book called Digital and Media Literacy in the Age of the Internet explaining what digital literacy and media literacy are while providing teachers with practical classroom applications.

The first question that came to my mind during the Skype discussion was: Are we educators prepared for teaching our students digital literacy and media literacy? I can relate to Leigh Tremblay, when it comes to “blindly” engaging with apps without knowing what is behind them. Looking at myself, there’s still a lot that needs to be done in the area of knowing how technology works and knowing how to use and analyze resources. I think the first step is that we educators recognize the importance of digital and media literacy and take the time to better ourselves. Since how could we guide our students, if we don’t understand technology and don’t know what is happening around us? Or we just lock the world of Internet and Social Media out of our classrooms limiting our students’ learning?

I agree with Adam Scott Williams, who believes that “Schools are the perfect place for students to learn about social media tools and how to use them responsibly and efficiently.” Prof. Henry Jenkins draws our attention to the dangers of the mentality of “let them be, they’ll learn on their own” since our student population is made up of three distinct groups of young people: digital orphans, digital exiles and digital heirs. Being aware of these differences can help us, educators when it comes to meeting our students’ needs. According to Mary Beth Hertz, it is crucial for us, teachers to educate ourselves and our students. Making assumptions that our students have digital literacy, just because they have access to technology or are able to use certain apps can be quite dangerous. It is like a ‘digital playground’ where students are being thrown into without guidance. It is our job to address and fill in the gaps.

Another important takeaway was the importance of validating our students’ experiences and being open to learn with them and from them. Listening to our students and talking about their experiences in a non-judgemental way will help us see the value Social Media offers to youth as well as helping them deal with its negative effects, such as the FOMO phenomena. I wonder if teaching youth to be real as Alexandra Samuel: Ten Reasons to Stop Apologizing for your Online Life explains, would make a change and encourage youth to behave like IRL (in real life) since the online life is RLT (real life too)?

Welcome to my introductory blog post! My name is Melinda Demeter and I have been living in Canada for 18 years. I am Hungarian who grew up in Romania, Transylvania, half an hour drive from the famous Bran Castle known as Dracula Castle.

Due to living as part of a minority group, Romania never really felt like home. At a very young age, I knew I was going to leave the country. I started learning English when I was in grade five, later I added German to have a higher chance when the time was going to come to settle in a new country. After I had finished university in the capital city of Romania, my dream came true and I was able to move to Canada. Soon, I had to face the harsh reality by being told that my Education Degree was equal to a Bachelor of Arts Degree and I had to go back as a full-time student for three and a half years to get my teaching degree. I often wonder what my life would look like had I stayed in my home town. I feel this was God’s plan for me. I have two beautiful children Dani and Mariska who give meaning to my life.

I love to travel, I am passionate about different cultures and of course teaching. Being an English as an Additional Language teacher is the perfect fit for me, since I am an immigrant who has experienced culture shock and all the ups and downs of settling in a new country. I truly feel that I can connect to my students and really understand what they are going through.

I see myself as a lifelong learner always finding an exciting goal to work towards. After I finished my Master’s Certificate Program in TESOL, I applied for the Master’s Certificate Program in Educational Technology, pushing myself to face my fear of technology.

I am so thankful to my Professor, Dr. Alec Couros for his continuous guidance and support as well as for my classmates’ help and encouragement. During the past two courses, EC&I 834 and EC&I 831, I have not only learnt a tremendous amount, but also built great relationships. I always loved technology since it made it possible for me to stay connected to my friends and family. Without Internet and Skype I wouldn’t have been able to survive the past 18 years. Now, that I am learning about the treasures the world of technology is offering, I am loving it more than ever. Of course it has positive and negative sides, like everything else in life. Being able to see and hear my parents living 8,288 km away from me is something words cannot describe.

Since I have been taking Ed.Tech classes, according to one of my students I became a “YouTuber”. I also had the opportunity to develop online and blended learning resources, as well as learn how to play the piano, the most amazing journey, that I recorded in the form of a podcast. This was a childhood dream of mine, that I was able to accomplish thanks to the Learning Project of my EC&I 834 class. Although the class ended, the piano stayed in my life, helping me find my inner piece when life gets hectic.

I am very excited to learn about Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy since it is a relevant topic both in schools and in my own home. Looking forward to another great journey!

Thanks for stopping by!

Melinda