The New Digital Reality

Reflecting on our current world, we are heavily dependent on technology in our personal and work lives. As someone who is Gen Z, I experienced how technology became more and more influential in my life. Growing up I would read books at the library, watch movies from Blue Rays rented from the local convenience store, and go play outside on playgrounds. However, I feel like my generation was the last generation to experience life before technology was as influential in our everyday life as much as it is today. For reference, I was born in 2004. Even though I have always been exposed to technology my whole life, technology was not used as much as it is now. Growing up my parents still had flip phones, which progressed to iPhones that were used constantly. Now, cell phones are used daily and most people use about 8 to 10 hours a day! Not even including my cell phone, I use technology at both work and school. When I am at school, I have to use my computer to access the classes on UR Courses and to write all of my documents. At work, I am also on the computer when I am doing my administrative assistant jobs. 

What does this mean for my future classroom? It means that younger generations will have a strong influence on technology in their personal and school lives. Although technology can be very beneficial and used in many different ways to help with students learning, it is also important to minimize the amount of time we spend on technology. In this class, we are learning many different beneficial ways that technology can be used in the classroom. For example, there are many different ways we can present information using technology such as podcasts, videos, making posters, animations and much more! This allows a variety of different ways for students to present their information and learn creatively using technology. It is much more engaging for students to make a video or animation than simply lecture at the front of the classroom. This also allows for much more collaboration in learning by learning about technology in class and engaging with students using technology. In Wesch’s YouTube video, we can see how people can connect from all over the world through technology. This can be very beneficial and entertaining! Wesch shared how a simple video of a man dancing to a song through his webcam inspired thousands of people around the world to dance along too. There are many different ways that technology allows students to interact and collaborate with others around the world, which we wouldn’t be able to do without access to technology. 

Another idea that comes with the increased use of technology around the world is learning how to analyze and navigate information on the internet. Now more than ever we have access to such a large amount of information. You can type something you want to learn into a search engine and find an answer. How should we determine what is truthful and what is not? I believe that this is something that teachers and schools should teach their students. I remember having our librarian come to class one day and explain how to determine factual books and fiction books. This is the same with websites on the internet! Even now, as a university student, I see that some of my peers don’t know how to use proper resources online when trying to use quotations and cite facts. In addition, with the introduction of AI being accessible, we need to address the issues and the beneficial ways that AI can be used. Digital citizenship is also important to teach students as their lives are reflected on the internet and will be there forever! It is important to teach that comments and things said online will have a long-term impact on your life such as when you are trying to get hired for a job in the future. 

I believe that schools and the curriculum need to incorporate different ways to navigate and learn about technology. As a society, we have to acknowledge that technology is here to stay. Thinking about this, how can we prepare students to have a healthy and beneficial relationship with technology for the rest of their lives? The discussions of the benefits and drawbacks of technology need to be addressed in the classroom. Teachers, schools, school divisions, and the curriculum need to start seeing the importance of teaching about technology at such a young age. We see how students almost as soon as they are born are exposed to technology, whether it be games on their phones or watching television. In addition, children are exposed to social media at such a young age. In addition, ideas like how everything isn’t as it seems on the internet and how things are projected a certain way. These skills surround how to navigate technology by finding a balance with it in our lives.