s00229792-blog

[s00229792-blog]

Re-write of blog post 1- Do digital natives exist?

n the world we live in today, digital technology has reached an extreme high. As of 2015, nearly all individuals in society have used or owned some sort of digital technology, and 86% of all households have an internet connection (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). However, this has not always been the case. This point has lead me to believe that digital natives DO exist in our current society for various reasons.

 The term ‘Digital Natives’ can be and has been defined as “a native speaker of the digital language of computers, video games and the internet.” (Prensky, 2001). Marc Prensky’s 2001 article ‘Digital natives, Digital immigrants’ outlines how digital technologies have impacted upon our past and present generations about those classed as digital natives, the ones that are immune to technology.  Digital immigrants are those whom have had to change their thinking to adopt this sense of learning, which has led to some of the digital immigrants finding it significantly difficult to adjust and keep up to date with the constantly changing and growing digital technology world of the 21st century. On the other hand, digital natives have grown up with digital technology in their day to day life, and is a part of their growth and language to use technology naturally.

 Both digital natives and immigrants are faced with the difficulties that come along with digital technology in the 21stcentury and adapting quickly to the changes, although the learning process may differ amongst the age groups. Prensky’s article in combination with class discussion and sharing of ideas brought to my attention the different aspects that are associated with digital natives. It is clear to me that even through communication with my parents and grandparents has become a lot easier through technology. Yet it is also clear to me that I cannot remember a time in my childhood that I didn’t have access to digital technology. Which lead me to adapt and become what they call a ‘digital native’ and now I feel almost immune to it.

 This brings a clear contrast to the older generation around me, whom still after years of being around technology struggle as they were not given the opportunity to be educated on digital technology the way they are today. Through the development of digital natives, today students from a young age are influenced around technology, from this I believe that teachers and education has also been lead to make changes. This will influence the way I teach in 4 years’ time, as I will now need to think of smart and educating ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. Teachers are now faced with the requirement to build a classroom that caters for both types of individuals, digital natives and immigrants. They may have children coming from different socioeconomic backgrounds with different levels of access to technology in their homes. Teachers can adapt to these situations by ensuring they offer time for each student to ensure they feel confident with the digital technology they are using and to educate them on safe ways to use digital technologies. Therefore, I personally conclude with the opinion that digital natives do exist and our current society and we have been given a clear answer as to how it is so existent.

FEEDBACK FROM TUTOR:

Original post: 

[s00229792-blog]

Peer Feedback #2

Great first critical reflection! You did really well to address the question and answer it with the assistance of literature to support your answer. Through reading your reflection I can see that you have a strong personal understanding of the topic ‘digital natives’ and have done well to add this to your work. You have addressed all the marking criteria for this blog entry as you reflected on topics covering in tutorials/lectures, and added the support of a scholarly article which was demonstrated throughout your blog post. You have done well to add in other aspects such as how it relates to education, this is highly regarded. To further validate and support your ideas I would suggest in text citations as set by the APA referencing guide.

[s00229792-blog]

A  look at how teaching has changed over the years and how technology has impacted the way we teach today

[s00229792-blog]

Week 8- Peer Feedback

[s00229792-blog]

BLOG #2 WHAT ARE DIGITAL AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES?

There are many forms of digital and communication technologies, and these platforms are continually expanding and evolving. Digital technologies are defined as electronic tools, systems, devices and resources that generate, store or process data. Examples of these include social media, online gaming and mobile devices. (Victoria State Government, 2017). Communication technologies refer to equipment and programs used specifically to process and communicate information (Learn, 2016), such as emails and social media. Digital and communication technologies are closely linked, as the digital technologies are becoming increasingly used to connect people and communicate more efficiently. The use of and need for digital and communication technology is growing exponentially. As science continues to evolve and expand, technology is becoming increasingly smarter and more accessible to all people. These technologies have enabled society to do things that were previously unimaginable. This then raises the question, are we too dependent on technology? Has the many conveniences we now experience caused us to become unable to operate without them? Although the importance of digital and communication technologies is undeniable, these questions must be considered. 

I believe that digital communication and technology has become such a prominent aspect of our day to day lives, especially through the development of teaching through technology. Not only is digital communication and technology extremely useful in teaching, it is also used in other career paths such as engineering, business, science and the Defence force to name a few. In my opinion, I believe that both digital natives and immigrants should have an open mind to the constantly changing technological world, and what potential they could reach using digital and communication technologies. Naming just some potential ways a teacher may incorporate digital and communication technology include smart boards fitted into their class room, using twitter to communicated to both parents and students, iPads in the class room to educate students on technology and ways they can keep in contact with their peers and teachings outside the classroom safely and using digital technologies just to engage with the students through educational games and videos that will assist in their education. In conclusion, the definition of digital communications and technology can be adapted to each individual and their career path. For my instance, a future teacher, the definition involves technologies that can be used on a day to day basis, involving communications, that will benefit both my teaching and the educating of children.  

References:

Capistrano, J. (2016, April 23). Are We Too Dependent On Technology? Retrieved from Xen Life: http://xenlife.com.au/are-we-being-too-dependent-on-technology/

Learn. (2016). What Is Communication Technology? Retrieved from Learn: http://learn.org/articles/What_is_Communication_Technology.html

Victoria State Government. (2017). Teaching with Digital Technologies. Retrieved from Victoria State Government: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/Pages/elearningcurriculum.aspx

[s00229792-blog]

BLOG #3 - An understanding of how changes in technology impact on the way humans communicate, and the ethical issues that surround these changes

As an individual that has grown up influenced by constantly changing technology, I have formed an understanding on how deeply it has impacted the way we communicate on a day to day basis. It has also brought upon several ethical issues that have arisen because of the constantly changing technological world.  Dating way back to 1876 (Foner, 2006) when Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call on a telephone, 29th June, 2007 when the first iPhone (Dolan, 2010) was created. Are dates in history when technology first started to evolve and the communication between two individuals began to change. The 21st century has shown a whole new range of ways to communicate; through email, text, facetime, twitter, code and snapchat. These technologies have improved the way we communicate with one another. We can now communicate with an individual no matter what distance away they are, or what country they are in instantly. This is just one factor that has proven to impact the way humans communicate positively.

 Changes in technology have impacted modern day teaching and how teachers, students and parents can communicate with each other. Whether it be through a blog, an email or an app the changes in technology for educational purposes has improved the overall communication in schools. Throughout this semester we have been discussing ways to incorporate blogs in teaching, it was brought to my attention the importance of open discussion and communication with parents and students. Blogging is one simple way an educator in the 21st century can communicate and collaborate with all their students, and incorporate parents to keep track of class room news, homework and assignments and just a way to share day to day in the classroom all in one place. Although there are some ethical issues around it, teachers can use this to progress through the forever changing communication technology.

 The changes in technology over time has impacted communication and risen ethical issues such as those associated with the given example of blogging. Reflecting on my tutorial I was made aware of many ethical factors that need to be considered when using blogs in education (Australian Catholic University, 2017). Including:

·      Limiting where your students can post personal information

·      Avoid escalating the situation such as bullying

·      Document cyber-bulling

·      Report cyber bullying to appropriate authorities

Ethical issues tend to arise when rules are not set and information is overshared through technology. Which is why it being extremely important to keep track of the changes in technology, and what rules, regulations and information you need to adapt to in order to protect your own privacy and also your students.

http://www.p21.org/news-events/p21blog/1839-the-third-c-communication-in-the-21st-century PIC

Bibliography  

Australian  Catholic University. (2017, September 3). Blogs in Education. Tutorial 5  COMM140 Slideshow. Melbourne , VIC, AUS.

 Dolan, B. (2010,  June 19). iPhone 1st Gen. Retrieved from Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_(1st_generation)

 Foner, E. (2006,  March 14). Alexander Graham Bell. Retrieved from History:  http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/alexander-graham-bell

[s00229792-blog]

BLOG #1

DO DIGITAL NATIVES EXIST?

In the world we live in today, digital technology has reached an extreme high. As of 2015, nearly all individuals in society have used or owned some sort of digital technology, and 86% of all households have an internet connection (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). However, this has not always been the case. This point has lead me to believe that digital natives DO exist in our current society for various reasons. The term ‘Digital Natives’ can be and has been defined as “a native speaker of the digital language of computers, video games and the internet.” (Prensky, 2001). Marc Prensky’s 2001 article ‘Digital natives, Digital immigrants’  outlines how digital technologies have impacted upon our past and present generations about those classed as digital natives, the ones that are immune to technology.  Digital immigrants are those whom have had to change their thinking to adopt this sense of learning. Which has led to some of the digital immigrants finding it significantly difficult to adjust and keep up to date with the constantly changing and growing digital technology world of the 21st century. On the other hand, digital natives have grown up with digital technology in their day to day life, and is a part of their growth and language to use technology naturally. Both digital natives and immigrants are faced with the difficulties that come along with digital technology in the 21st century and adapting quickly to the changes, although the learning process may differ amongst the age groups. Prensky’s article in combination with class discussion and sharing of ideas brought to my attention the different aspects that are associated with digital natives. It is clear to me that even through communication with my parents and grandparents has become a lot easier through technology. Yet it is also clear to me that I cannot remember a time in my childhood that I didn’t have access to digital technology. Which lead me to adapt and become what they call a ‘digital native’ and now I feel almost immune to it. This brings a clear contrast to the older generation around me, whom still after years of being around technology struggle as they were not given the opportunity to be educated on digital technology the way they are today. Through the development of digital natives, today students from a young age are influenced around technology, from this I believe that teachers and education has also been lead to make changes. This will influence the way I teach in 4 years time, as I will now need to think of smart and educating ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. Therefore I personally conclude with the opinion that digital natives do exist and our current society gives us a clear answer as to how it is so existent.

Reference:

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016, February 18). Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2014-15. Retrieved from Australian Bureau of Statistics: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8146.0

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/docview/214629645?accountid=8194

[s00229792-blog]

An interesting look at Digital Natives and Immigrants- through the idea of companies! 

[s00229792-blog]

Introduction to my page

WELCOME TO MY COMM140 BLOG! 

My name is Kayla Stacey (S00229792), I am a first year student at ACU Melbourne studying a Bachelor of Primary Education. Some background on me include that I moved from Newcastle, NSW at the end of the year to Melbourne for a change and more opportunities, I work in Pharmacy part-time and have been for the past 3 years, and I used to live in Saudi Arabia (My parents still do) which lead me to travel to 25 countries with my family in the past 7 years. I love to travel and always have, I love learning about new places and people even if it is from a distance, I admire new places and the feelings that come along with being in a totally unique place. I chose to study teaching, especially primary education as I have always had a close connection to the profession ever since I can remember. I have had a long lasting passion to work with children and the greatness of having the opportunity to educate them in a way that most suits each child and assist them to learn, grow and develop throughout their most crucial years. 

I have created this blog to share my opinions and knowledge on digital technologies and also to hear from other individuals and gain a deeper understanding of what other parts of society believe when it comes to digital communications and technologies. This blog will reflect on the information and ideas that have been presented in COMMS140 and also the discussions of the rest of the group. My COMMS140 blog will focus mainly on the ideas of the driving questions that have been set week to week, and I would love for this blog to be a place where collaboration can take place and ideas can be shared. 

Over the 6 week periods I will be sharing my personal responses to each driving  questions posted in my COMMS unit.

Statement of Academic Honesty:

I Kayla Stacey, state that everything posted within this blog is my own work and opinions, and in a situation where appropriate it has been stated otherwise through acknowledgements and referencing . 

[s00229792-blog]

Especially digital natives and immigrants, constantly adapting and learning new things

[s00229792-blog]

Digital Natives Facts and Figures

(via How digital natives spend their time | OUPblog)