Blog Post #1

 Introduction

Hi, my name is Briana!


I am from Los Angeles, California. I am pursuing a major in English Literature and a minor in Communications. I currently work at an elementary school, now in my fifth year, after working for multiple elementary and high schools. My interests include music, art, watching true crime, working with kids, sports, and spending time at the beach or outdoors.  A fun fact I always share is I’ve been shark cage diving.
Media technology can both play a positive and negative role in teaching, regardless its presence is hers to stay. Positives of technology in teaching includes both individual benefits and larger societal advantages. In my own experience, I have seen many advantages in language support.  Both translation and communication devices have been detrimental in improving teacher's abilities to work with multilingual families and nonverbal students. The school I work for has a large population of second language learners, as well as multiple special education programs. These language programs help decrease barriers in education in order to help empower students and families within the school community.



Technology further allows for access to information through diverse digital resources and programs. Access to research with many different viewpoints allows for students to come to better understandings of concepts and ideas in new ways, creating avenues to form their own ideas. This type of learning beyond the textbook not only helps to deepen student understanding, but further helps keep students engaged. This kind of student engagement comes from connecting them to the real world and their own real life experiences, reinforcing inclusivity and differentiations in learning. In the end, we live in a technology driven and advancing world, where preparing students with digital literacy is crucial for their future success. The use of digital tools and learning technologies across learning environments is the responsibility of the teacher, especially when knowing how to use and implement it in the classroom.

Negatives of technology in teaching range from various social and emotional factors to larger societal implications that are not even fully known.  In my opinion, the effect on our ability to critically think and our creative processes has already begun. In addition, in my own experience, I have seen a lot of aggression stemming from inability to communicate one's own feelings, while going through technological dependency. We have students who are labeled as “I-Pad” children, a phenomenon becoming more and more prevalent.  This inevitable creates larger and more long term effects, such as attention span issues and lack of emotional regulation. In the classroom, I have seen many students struggling with these issues, leaving them distracted during learning and overstimulated in classroom environments.  



This reduced human connection and indecent critical thought has reshaped our youth’s development, through constant cell phone use, social media, and less unstructured play.  Earlier generations learned independence and critical thinking skills through playing outside and taking risks, often without constant supervision.  Haidt reinforces this idea that children need to be outside exploring in "The Anxious Generation," feeling things with their own hands, and around friends their age in order to develop a “discovery mindset.”  However, children today tend to have more mental anguish and inability to accomplish problem solving, often spending large amounts of time online and away from peers.  This shift more largely connects to what Haidt refers to as a “mental health collapse.” People need to be locked into community, yet we find ourselves in a “social trap” where both parents and children feel pressured by societal norms and pressures surrounding technology.  

Overall, I believe the challenge is not whether to use it, but how to balance its benefits with its drawbacks. We cannot avoid using technology, or limit students in their access, especially as we see the world expanding today.

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