Blog 2

 

• A paragraph about your experience using MS Word as a student (both in K-12 and at FSU). Do you prefer another word processing software (e.g., Google Docs or Pages)? If so, why do you prefer to use this word processing software?

• Microsoft Word has been a big part of my time as a student, I have been using MS Word since middle school and it has been very helpful. However, in highschool i started to use Google Docs and in my opinion this program is much better in both functionality and shareability. Google docs can be used on almost any device and can be updated from anywhere with real time updates without any extra steps. This program also makes it much easier to share a document with group members or teachers (you can even convert it into a MS Word document). While MS Word might have more niche features, Google Docs is still much better for the average student. 

• A paragraph about the ISTE Standards for Educators Select the standard that is most meaningful to you. Have you learned anything new about it? Are there any lingering questions, concerns, or ideas? Feel free to share your reflection.

• The ISTE standards are a fairly “standard” achievement/goal for a teacher to have in their career. The standard that stuck out to me the most was 2.4, the “collaborate” standard. The “collaborate” standard is in my opinion the most important standard as it is what allows teachers to keep improving even after many years. Something that stuck out to me in an odd way was the use of the word technology over information. I don’t think we should phase out the old way of learning through books and physical reading just yet. 

• A paragraph on whether or not you agree with the label “digital native” for today’s youth. What does it mean to be a digital native? Have you seen differences between how you (digital native) and most of your teachers (digital immigrants) use technology? If so, describe them and what their impact has been on your learning experience. What differences do you anticipate between you and your future students in terms of how you use technology?

• The term “Digital Native” has some truth to it, many students of the new generations do have shorter attention spans and have different preferences regarding their learning preferences. However not all “Digital Natives” are very comfortable with or even prefer using the technology they have access to. There are many younger people who do not like or care to use technology and there are many older people who are extremely into tech and all its niche capabilities. While the younger “Digital Natives” may have more exposure to technology and how to use it this doesn’t guarantee they will be masters at it. For example I am not all that into technology and just use its basic functionality and one of my neighbors that I am close to is a tech wizard (he's one of my friend’s dads in his late 50s). I do not plan on using an excessive amount of technology in my classroom (no phones, I will have a physical textbook for them to read, etc) and I do anticipate that will cause friction.