I don’t consider myself to be very old but in my lifetime it’s crazy to think about how far technology has come. Social media effects our lives in so many ways from the relationships we form to the way we communicate with one and other. This new digital culture not only effects our personal aspects like relationships, confidence, ect. this digital culture has also influenced the ways we teach. However, has the digital culture effected the things we teach? We all know the digital world provides many obstacles for students. It’s important to think if we have adapted our teachings to give the students what they need to be successful through these obstacles.
In Michael Wesch presentation really highlights the important connection between media and human relationships. In An anthropological introduction to YouTube video Wesch discuss the unique connection between media and relationships. He discusses how the web allows people to link in ways that they have never linked in before. I think this new type of relationship is an important aspect of our world because the relationship we have in the digital world will affect our relationships in the real world. So, in short digital relationship have and continue to transform relationships. Later in Wesch presentation he says, “Media is not content”, “Media are not just tools of communication”, “Media mediate human relations” and, “When media changes human relations change”. When he said this it really got me thinking about media and how I use it. If you asked me the purpose of media, I would say to find info and communicate however its important to understand that media is much more. Media is the way we communicate and the way we build relationships. It’s important to understand that media is much more to use then we actually think.
As a future educator it’s important to adapt to the changing world. As we have seen in the last few years digital technology is defiantly part of the changing world. The rise of technology means weather I like it or not the digital world will play a role in my future classroom and future school. The digital world can be a great resource for learning and communication. However, it can also be a dangerous place for students as seen is The Sextortion of Amanda Todd video. I think as a future educator it is important to use technology in the classroom for many reasons. The first reason being, student like digital media and technology so uses resources students like for learning can improve the children’s overall interaction with the learning. Secondly, I think it is important to use technology in the classroom because you can take it as an opportunity to teach about the proper ways to use digital media and technology. Technology will play a role in our student lives so its important that we give them the proper advocacy and awareness to deal with the things they may run into on digital media. As educators our job is to educate so let’s give our kiddos all the info they need to make informed decisions in the digital world.
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