Technology has most certainly engrained itself in the present lives of our youths. Teens are becoming more and more dependent on technology and we can not deny that there is a fascination among our youths today that is centered around social media. A huge part of how teens interact with one another nowadays is linked to the use of different social media platforms and the accessibility to information has been ramped up by technology. People are using social media to communicate, share, connect, and even advocate for one another. We are seeing more people advocating for different social justice issues online and taking a stance on a variety of topics.…
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Who should be responsible for helping children develop their digital footprints?đ¤
In todayâs class, we discussed the fact that teachers hold a lot of power and thus, have control over what we consider a priority â what is important â in our classrooms. There is no doubt that technology has become quite predominant in education over the past couple of decades. As educators strive to remain innovative, engaging, and relevant in their profession, technology has become a tool that allows them to reach these goals when teaching their students. I do not believe anyone in the education sector is questioning the relevance of using technology in the classroom. However, as we examined in class today, there is a question pertaining to…
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Trying to bring digital equity into the classroom to create meaningful learning opportunities for students đ
The concept of an equitable society is one that the education sector strives to embrace while fully understanding that at times it can be unattainable in certain circumstances. âEquity [can be defined as] just and fair inclusion; an equitable society is one in which all can participate and prosper. [Furthermore], the goals of equity must be to create conditions that allow all to reach their full potentialâ (Natural Resources Defense Council, 2019). I believe that all educators have a common goal to try to attain an equitable society that is free from oppression and discrimination. Therein lies the challenge of schools trying to overcome â the prejudice and discrimination of…
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Social media has the potential to be a powerful tool in education when used accordingly
Social media has developed into something quite powerful and predominant in the lives of youth nowadays. These digital natives born in an era where they are surrounded by technology, rely heavily on social media as a way to stay connected and informed. Almost all teens have some form of social media they are signed up to use and we can attest to the fact that they use it regularly. Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Facebook seem to be among some of the more popular platforms; watching online videos is also ranked as a favourite pastime for both tweens and teens (Common Sense Census, 2021). Whether or not we understand our youthâs…
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Educational technology can be the perfect tool to enhance learning in the classroom
A popular debate that we have pondered over the years would have to be regarding educational technology and whether it is indeed more beneficial to our students or more harmful to them. The reality is we can argue both sides of this argument and when it comes to technology there are always advantages and disadvantages. This is also true when we consider educational technology used in the classroom to enhance our studentsâ learning. Our students are being brought up in a digital age and are exposed to technology and surrounded by it from childhood. These digital natives are immersed in technology from an early age and have the difficult task…
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What is my role in the classroom regarding digital citizenship? ?
We currently live in a digital age where we are surrounded by technology everywhere we look. Our children are considered to be digital natives that are being brought up in a society that heavily relies on the use of technology to function and we can not dispute the fact that technology plays a leading role in the lives of our younger generations. Looking back at my own experiences as a student, I can honestly admit there has been a significant shift in the use of technology in the classroom and I am noticing that we rely on technology more and more every day. Things have certainly changed over the past…
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AI Tools could encourage us to change the teaching game
When exploring technology, one key concept that jumps to the forefront is that it is ever-evolving. This holds to be true when we examine the abundant amount of educational technology we have at our fingertips and all the diversity it encompasses. There always seems to be a new program, software, or application that is being released. The technology that is available to educators and students nowadays is very different from what was available 30 years ago in the classroom. At times, it can feel a little overwhelming to try and stay current with all this new technology while figuring out ways to incorporate it into the curriculum. As more and…
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Excited to be here! ?
Hi everyone! My name is Valeska Porras and I am really excited to be taking EC&I 830 this semester with all of you. I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge when it comes to educational technology and learning about new technology that could be used in the classroom to help engage my students. I am a French Immersion teacher with Regina Public Schools, and I have been teaching with this division for the past ten years. Currently, I am the Grade 2 French Immersion teacher at Ăcole Centennial School. Â I started my graduate program last winter and this is my sixth course toward my Masterâs in Education. Like many…
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Summary of Learning – That’s a wrap! ?
It’s hard to believe that the semester is coming to an end. As I am posting my “Summary of Learning” to my blog, I am excited to see where my tech journey will take me in the future! I went a little out of my comfort zone with my final project and I researched something new that I have wanted to try out for years now. I figured now is the time to go for it when I was feeling inspired to create. For my final project in EC & I 833, I decided to create my own virtual classroom! I can’t tell you how many tutorials I watched to…
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What can we achieve by bringing in VR or AR into the classroom? ?
When I think back to my first experiences with the concept of Virtual Reality as a child, the âView Masterâ camera comes to mind where we could â[bring] our favourite movie scenes to life [or we could be transported] to some of the best scenic landmarks in the world with the push of a buttonâ (Retro Dodo). It was one of the toys I enjoyed the most and I was constantly bugging my parents to purchase new slides for me to use with this camera. There was something very appealing as preschooler to be able to see different scenes through a camera and have a scenery up so close that…