Month: November 2023

Thinking back to my time in high school, I can’t recall a lot of PSAs or lessons regarding cyber safety in school. My learnings came from more of the Milieu (Shwab’s Common Places), wherein teachers, parents, and peers stressed the importance of having caution towards your presence online.

I recall when Instagram and Snapchat were very popular apps when I reached grade 7. It took a lot to convince my mom to let me download the applications. Her fear was my exposure to the cyber world, and she worried about how I was putting myself out there on a social media platform. I remember seeing posters warning students about the implications and dangers that follow you, like the one below.

Something that comes to mind immediately when I hear the term ‘cyber safety’ is the movie Cyberbully. The movie came out in 2011, and I remember it being my first time understanding just how harmful and dangerous the internet can be. It was the fear that was instilled through the cyberbullying, as well as the empathy that was gained for the main character. To reach students, it is important to know your crowd and understand what they value in order to give meaning and context to the important lesson involved. It was the fear of social media that ensured I was using it responsibly.

Cyber safety is a significant topic for students to learn about, especially at a young age, along with the uprise in different social media tools and applications. Some ways to encourage positive conversations about the topic while still stressing safety include:

• Student-led conversations and discussions – get to know your students, learn what they know and what they don’t about their digital footprint
• Ask questions
• Suggest online safety tools and resources
• Guest speakers and assemblies – students look forward to these, encouraged to bring in speakers and topics that will discuss cyber safety
• Dedicate lessons to the topic

 

 

TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION

It is truly astonishing to see the evolution of technology over the years, from the DS to Apple and now to artificial intelligence. The level of knowledge and information people of all ages have access to is insane to think about. It was in one of our lectures that I learned that 92% of toddlers today have a digital footprint. The thought of my photos, face, and experiences being on the web from the day I was born terrifies me. This goes to show how much technology and media have infiltrated its way into society and the new norms.

Then vs. Now

Growing up, I never had the kind of technology that is accessible today. And that was even more than the generation before me. And the one before that. And the one before that. The crazy thing is that it is all a never-ending cycle. Revolution is constantly happening. I can think to myself that entering a career as a teacher will be impossible with the kinds of technology that students now have access to—especially since I will be in high school, where their favorite thing is their phone. But then that gets me to think back to my parent’s generations and the assumptions they may have had. They are both educators. They probably feared the same thing when Google and laptops and smart boards came out. It is a technological advancement that occurs periodically with all of us. We advance just as they do. It is essential that teachers continue to educate themselves alongside it because they will get behind if they don’t. This risks straining the connection to your students.

Artificial Intelligence + Teaching Career =?

One thing that I think about the most about potentially causing an issue with the student’s scholarly performances is the introduction of Artificial Intelligence and chat gpt. If I were to insert the questions that this week’s blog post prompts us to do, not Chatgpt, it would spit out a likely perfect answer. I will try it below and insert the answers I find.

Example of the power of artificial intelligence

Reflect on our changed world and the new culture of participation. What does this mean for your future classroom as an educator?

“The changed world and the culture of participation have significant implications for the future classroom. As an educator, it means fostering. more interactive and collaborative learning environment where students are actively engaged and encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas. Embracing technology and digital tools will be essential for enhancing participation and providing personalized learning experiences. Additionally, promoting diversity, inclusion, and global perspectives will be crucial in preparing students for the interconnected world they will enter. Overall, adapting to this cultural shift involves being flexible, innovative, and responsive to the evolving needs of students.” (chat.openai.com)

I would have to agree with everything this response gave. This is nearly exactly what I would have said.  In Michael Wesch’s An Anthropological Introduction to Youtube, he explains that media mediates human relationships. When media changes, human relationships change—causing us to rethink everything and ourselves. I think that is the most important part of this all. We must be able to adapt to change our ways of thinking, learning, and teaching. With all this new tech, it is important that we work on the student’s ability to grow socially. To foster their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which may have declined with artificial intelligence.

Technology isn’t going anywhere, and neither is the future.

This idea that we will ever have it all figured out in this career is not going to happen (in my opinion). Sure, you can build up a reliable routine and re-use content, but with change in tech and media comes change in everything. How we teach and the students learn, is dependent on the revolution of technology, and it is imperative to learn as you go.