The digital age is an important development in the history of humanity. The amount of knowledge humans have been able to access and share has increased by orders of magnitude from the previous times in history. It is important, therefore to consider how this digital age will affect the human experience in both positive and negative ways. I have recently become concerned with the prospect of people deciding the virtual world is more interesting and engaging than their actual lives. How can educators help develop a curriculum that has a balance between transformative technological use and genuine human experiences?
There is no doubt technology is important to help with student achievement inthe 21st century. However there have been a set of challenges to the adoption of technology. Not simply supply and purchasing problems, but unanticipated problems with student learning (Porter, 2013). Teachers have reported that students are much more distracted now, students have lost face-to-face communication ability, teachers say students have diminished writing abilities. It is important to engage with the students in a manner that students are comfortable with. Teachers must develop lessons that direct students use of technology, hopefully for transformative purposes, but also gives the students real collaborative human experience with their peers.
The allure of the online world can be distracting to students. Students spend a larger portion of their emotional lives using various electronic devices. It is difficult for teachers to keep up with students when they feel there is more engaging content in their pocket (Porter, 2013). There are to solutions to distraction from devices. The first is to utilize the device as a learning tool to its fullest potential. There is a wide array of learning management software’s that can help merge the current classroom curriculum with digital tools. These are tools like BlackBoard, Canvas, Livetext, and Desire2Learn This allows the student to use their device in the classroom with a focused educational purpose. It can now be used for research, to collaborate among classmates, complete reading assignments, and so on. Students are able to have online collaborative discussions in a social media like format. There are no concerns with traditional social media here as the platform is closed to those outside the student group. There is also accountability with engagement for the teachers and the students.
Teachers should take the opportunity in the digital age to give students assignments that give them genuine experiences and leave behind artifacts. For example, a teacher can assign students create a photo journal and have them develop a presentation. This photo journal could be tied to any type of assignment including literature, math, or science. This journal could have student write an entry, justifying each pictures entry into the journal. A lesson like this allows students to use raw technological tools to accomplish a task, while at the same time compelling students to engage in an experience outside the digital realm.
Students can easily have pulled into the allure of the digital world and disregard some of the aspects that help us learn and make us human. However, if a teacher can develop a lesson plan that engages students’ technological skills as well as giving them experiences, teachers can help students achieve to their fullest potential.
Porter, A. (2013, January 28). The problem with technology in schools. Retrieved July 05, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/the-problem-with-technology-in-schools/2013/01/28/cf13dc6c-6963-11e2-ada3-d86a4806d5ee_blog.html?utm_term=.b9260b346068