The World of Technology: Classroom Integration

The world is constantly changing, and so are technology and social media trends. Trends that were popular one month may no longer be trending the next week or even the next month. Therefore, participation culture is constantly evolving and changing. In Michael Wesch’s An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube, he says that trends are fun, allow people to celebrate new forms of empowerment, and “It’s a celebration of new forms of community”(5:00). For our future classrooms, this means we will see kids participating in these trends with their friends at school. We as educators might even partake in some trends because the unique thing about participation culture is that there is almost always a trend that will interest everyone. It is common for almost everyone to have some form of technology easily accessible to them. Whether it be at home, school, work, or public libraries. The use of technology and digital sources in our classrooms is excellent. It has allowed for neat inventions in the classrooms, like Smart Boards, that can do so many amazing things to enhance teaching. Even apps like Canva, Kahoot!, Mentimeter, and more are digital tools that can help educators gain students’ interests and include technology in valuable ways. 

However, with the use of technology being so prominent in our society, we also see the negative impacts technology use can cause. Such as being addicted to our phones, having short attention spans, and people getting bored when they cannot use or access technology. These negative impacts can be present in our classrooms and can cause challenges. When I was in high school, I witnessed it. My peers and I couldn’t attend a class without their phones or checking notifications. Many people are so used to constantly having access to technology that it can be a challenge when asked to unplug for a bit. We may struggle with that as future educators in our classrooms. Overall, technology is a powerful invention that has helped advance our society, and with proper usage and regulations, it can be beneficial in the classroom.