Finding a middle ground feels as though it is becoming more challenging. I like to believe that I have found a balance with my use of technology both in my personal and professional life that I am comfortable with. There are days when I wonder am I alone in my beliefs or does this picture concern anyone else?
Maybe I’m old school, maybe I’m uncomfortable with change or maybe I’m simply unaware. I’m a believer of science and what it can explain to us about our mammal brain capacity. I often wonder will we eventually reach our own limits of the human brain? Will we decide 50 years from now that our addiction to the internet was detrimental to the development of today’s youth. I often compare it to the use of nicotine and how harmful the outcome was but it didn’t seem to matter early on when everyone was using it. The financial gain was more important to the tobacco companies than the health of our society. The balancing act is a fine line and it is certainly one that is hard to define and create in our lives as each person has a different lifestyle and teaching pedagogy.
When I look at my life and my use of technology I often say I’m a dinosaur not because of my age but because of my personal choices for technology use both in my personal and professional lives.
Ten years ago I would have never said that about myself because I was embarrassed to admit that I didn’t have a Twitter account or an active Instagram page, that I wasn’t jumping on the wagon with every new educational app that rolled through the classrooms. I can vividly recall my first experience with Twitter – sitting in a conference room with 300 teachers in PA – listening to Dr. Alec Couros brother George Couros talk about the benefits of technology in the classrooms. I sat there amongst all the connected teachers as they pulled out their smart phones and started tweeting…..what on earth was going on?….. was I out of touch? Did not having a Twitter account mean I was not a good teacher? Did it mean I wasn’t connected with family and friends? Since joining twitter in 2013 I have certainly taken time to reflect and think about my digital footprint.
In my classroom my morning starts with the use of EDSBY to take attendance and communicate with students and teachers. I then turn to my computer and utilize many of the google suite apps to deliver my lessons, assign digital assignments and have my students create websites. Over the years I have used severeal different digital tools (kahoot, prezzi, quizlet, menti) in my classroom to attempt to increase engagement by adding variety. I do admit that technology has made my teaching a bit easier to manage and deliver over the years. However, with that said it certainly has its faults – the days when there isn’t enough technology for each student in my room, that the data isn’t available to all, that the app or program isn’t functioning properly. When technology goes down the stress level goes up – there are days when I think my students would learn just fine with pen and paper.
In my personal life I grapple with the need to be connected constantly. As a child I have memories of spending summers on an island in Quebec with no power or running water, a place where family and friends were connected socially through the use of two universal languages. A time when we were present in our social circle – not socializing in two or three places at once. I listened to a Ted Talk in my health class the other morning and the young girl speaking said “years back we wanted to share a feeling so we called someone, now we are hoping for a feeling to come our way.” I send my own kids out to knock on neighbours doors to play and socialize face to face. I make sure I take time to put my phone on silent, I try not to post items on my Facebook or Instagram that makes it look like I’m bragging about my life. My vision for my digital footprint is professional, make it useful and purposeful for myself and others. Do I think my way is right – absolutely not, but a balancing act it will continue to be.
