Monday, March 7, 2011
The growing demands for technology literacy
The growing demands for technological literacy and personal technical competence as a means for people to access, select, and effectively use information of relevance to their lives—do young people have an appropriate set of abilities to use the new technologies adequately? Explain.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It has been said that those who are over 30 are considered Digital Immigrants and those who are under the age of 30 are Digital Natives. So in that respect I would say that 'young people' have an appropriate set of abilities to use technology. However this is only because they grew up with it and more than likely have been surrounded by it either at home or in their school environment.
ReplyDeleteWhen we are teaching we will need to incorporate technology into our lessons so that our students do not get bored and we will need to reinforce and sometimes teach our students how to properly use the technology that we have access to. This is because it is going to be a part of their life and as teachers we are to prepare them for the outside world.
Technological literacy and personal technical competence is a needed skill in today's world. People must be able to select and effectively use information they find on the internet. I do believe that young people have the ability to use new technology adequately. That is why it is imperative that teachers keep up on new technology because it is our job to teach young people how to use new technology effectively. Even my daughter who is 4, has begun to learn how to use a computer to play games and watch DVDs. So even at a very young age you can begin to work with students on technology usage. With guidance and instruction students can begin to learn how to use technology effectively and appropriately.
ReplyDeleteI think young people are tech savvy but only to a certain extent. They are competent with social networking but they need more exposure to software applications in school and at home that will enrich their chosen carrer paths. Word processors, spreadsheets, and powerpoint are only a starting point in this endeavor. As our class has learned there are wikis, blogs, podcasts and more available for young people to utilize.
ReplyDeleteI think that the young people that are coming up in educational atmospheres are being given the tools that they need to be more experienced with technology but there are many students who are only good with the social networking aspect. Much like Heather said students need to be taught skills like software applications, word processing, spreadsheets, powerpoint, etc. The sad part is that not all schools are supplied with the equipment that is needed to teach our students and for this those students it is sad because they need those skills to be successful in life considering we are living in such a technology driven world. Technology competence can be established later in life like it has for me but it is much more beneficial when taught early.
ReplyDeleteI think most young people do have the set of abilities to use new technologies adequately. Its seems like young people are so familiar with technology that when they start using a new technology they catch on very quickly. Technology is always changing so nobody will know how to use every type of technology there is but I think that if you are familiar with most technologies it will not be hard to catch on or learn about. When I say “catch on” I mean know the basics. For example, I have been around much more technology than my parents have so when we get a new form of technology, like a new computer or a new phone, I can figure out the basics much more quickly than they can.
ReplyDeleteI do think young people have the abilities required to use new technologies adequately. But this all starts with the school and the teacher. Schools and teachers need to provide the opportunities for students to use technology effectively. I have seen in my field experiences computers in third grade classrooms. There were not computers available for me to use when I was in third grade (not that I can remember anyway). More and more elementary classrooms are being filled with new technology, and students are getting a head start on using technology as it becomes available to the public. I think students do have the abilities required to use these technologies. They have shown that they are capable of using them in classroom activities. The opportunity needs to be present as well, however, in order for them to take advantage of technology.
ReplyDeleteYES! I think that today's youth has the appropriate set of abilities to use technology. I always tell my boys that they were born with a computer up their ---. They are more comfortable using technology because it has always been around them. The younger a student is the easier I think they can learn technology - having said that, it is important for teachers to keep up with technology in order to help them. The world uses technology for everything and only those who can work and understand this technology will find themselves in the work force. Although, I was not born in this technology era I have found that the younger students feel important helping me out. In my first grade placement the students were working with computers to complete one of their centers - when the bell rang for them to change the little boy that was helping me said to the teacher, "I can't move now, I am in the middle of teaching Mrs. Berkey."
ReplyDeleteI feel that some students have the abilities to use the new technologies adequately, but not all students. Some students grow up in a home without a computer, while others grow up in a house with all of the latest technology at their fingertips. I do not feel that most students understand the need to be extra responsible when using technology. For instance, most students will not understand that computers are fragile pieces of equipment and cannot be thrown around or dropped. I feel that students need to be instructed and guided in how to use technology in order to gain the abilities for using technology.
ReplyDeleteI am torn between a definite answer on this one. Do the children/students have the skills needed to use the technology? Absolutely, yes they can; and they do it well. But do the children/students have the skills to understand the danger of technology and the world that it resides in? No, I do not think they have that knowledge...yet. As great as technology is and as great as the internet and social networking is, there are huge dangers out there for young ones that even adults get into trouble with. If technology is going to be there for our youth, it needs to be safely monitored. Information can be very easily given away to the wrong people when children go online and fill out questionaires or play games that needs their email address. These things should be addressed first off at home (which I have found that most of the time never happens)as well as in the schools. A simple click of the wrong advertisement or a misspelling of a URL can lead to viruses and spyware and malware and trojan horses (the list can go on) coming onto that computer and destroying everything. Now if the knowledge and awareness is provided, given and shown to the young ones, I believe that many bad things can be avoided and they can go back to mesmerizing us all with their skills and capabilities with the technology of today. I know that even something as simple as turning on the television today can be a hassle for people who do not know the current technology. In our house we have three remotes in one room (one to turn on the tv itself and the digital cable box, one to turn on the surround sound, and one to turn on the blu-ray player). My dad only just started going out there to watch tv because my younger brother and I showed him how (for the fifteenth time) to turn everything on and what buttons to press to get what he wants (forcing him to sit out there until he turned everything on helped a bit too!). My hope in all of this is that the skills needed to use the technology, that the children pick up so quickly and handle so much, will be adequate and appropriate.
ReplyDeleteTo engage in twenty-first century schooling, children are going to have to develop and maintain technological skills and competence that will prepare them for our fast changing digital competent world. This raises the question, “Do our children have the necessary skills to adequately use such technologies?” This question is not a mere yes or no answer. I think that there are many factors that play into a child’s technological competence. For instance, my 3 year old son knows already how to navigate his way around my iPad to find his favorite games. My son will have a greater advantage over the child who will never have the single opportunity to be exposed to a computer until he or she enters school. Even then most school districts are not able to fund many computers. Another factor to remember is that sometimes when teachers do actually have technology in their classrooms they are either too scared to use it or have no desire to learn. This lends to more time taken away from a child’s technology exposure. One of the problems I foresee is how can the non techno-savvy parent or teacher critically examine the impact of technology when them themselves are not technologically competent? Yet, it is true that many of our students in our classrooms will not fear computers and will not feel the need to wait for someone to teach them how to use hardware or software. Many of these students will have regularly used the computer. Consequently, the need for technology skills in our students will be an added pressure for teachers to prepare our changing society. With this said, I think if we are going to have this added pressure as teachers then we need to get back to the basics. Sure my three year old can navigate around my iPad, but will he be taught the basic skills of typing or spreadsheet use in schools(just to name a few)?
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that as long as young people are provided with the essential knowledge needed to perform skillfully while using technology they can use that knowledge to figure out and successfully complete any task with technology. People in this day and age have so much technology at their fingertips and with a solid set of guidelines and building blocks they can accomplish most anything desired. That is why it is so immensely important that teachers are fluent with technology so that they can pass their knowledge on to their students and make them advanced as well.
ReplyDelete