As somewhat a digital native, I cannot fully understand and appreciate the impact of technology on industries, education, society, and individuals. As I reflect on my own life, I haven’t regularly used a dictionary since elementary school, I have only done my taxes using a computer program, and my main form of communication with friends other than in person is through text messaging. Ohler explains how body language such as leaning forward in a conversation or a blank stare while talking on the phone gets lost in communicating through technology. Ohler explains, “Communicating through cyberspace can delay, obfuscate, and distort communication. In addition, we do not often witness the local repercussions of our actions reflected in the people we see at school, work, or in our neighborhood.” (2010, p. 50) Technologies such as email and social media have changed the social rules of real life into a complicated set of rules that are not easily learned by digital citizens.
When it comes to communicating online, we can’t use the same methods of communication as if we are talking to the person in person. The ISTE Standards are in agreement of this by having a standard that calls for students to “communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.” (2016) The standard shows that it is not enough to present ideas through a paper or a lecture to a group of people but rather through interactive technology-based creations. Recently I was chaperoning a group of students to Anchorage and when this happens, I learn a lot about my students and their interactions with each other and the world through technology and social media. It was a great opportunity to finally ask about Snapchat and why they like using it so much. I remarked on how little they text versus use Snapchat and one of my students responded with an insight about how much youth know how to utilize technology. She explained that Snapchat is much better in communicating with friends because you can show your meaning behind the message through your facial expression. I was excited to realize that technology is starting to fill in the gaps of communication that it originally created. As technology is progressing, digital citizens will need to keep learning the communication rules and tools as they morph. Let’s take the advice from Ohler that suggests to reflect on each digital community that you are involved in and look at how interactions might differ from other communities (2010). Lastly, it never hurts to ask for advice on how we should act online in certain situations. It always good to have a second opinion before you post. Resources: Ohler, J. (2010) Digital Community, Digital Citizen. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Kindle Edition. ISTE (2016). ISTE Standards for Students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
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AuthorI am a teacher in Dillingham who loves mathematics. Lucky me because I happen to teach math! Also I teach French. ArchivesCategories |