In my teaching practice, I have witnessed the strengths and multiple uses of technology and digital literacies in education; however, I have also been witness to the divides that exist between students, schools and regions in terms of access to the digital world. As seen in the study by Haight, Quan-Haase and Corbett (2014), a multitude of personal, social and cultural factors are correlated to a person digital experience. Some students are greatly affected by these factors, and are often the ones who need the most support in building digital skills. Nonetheless, their remains divides in access, range of skills and range of social activity that are often self-sustained. As the rich get richer, the poor gets poorer - just as those who lack access and range will not be able to build digital literacy skills in the same ways people with access are able to. In my classroom, I first and foremost will remain aware of the existence of the divide that is felt between students in my class. Through building relationships and getting to know students, I will get a better idea of each students personal relationship with technology and their current skill set. Through a cooperative use of technology (whether that be BYOD, or using school-based devices), students will be able to build their digital skills through interacting with the content of the course. Through using technology in meaningful ways, with content, and curriculum always being considered, students can build practical skills and learn how to think critically when interacting with subjects, people and the world through the web.
Haight, Quan-Haase and Corbett (2014). Revisiting the digital divide in Canada: the impact of demographic factors on access to the internet, level of online activity and social networking site usage. Information, Communication and Society, 17 (4). Retrieved from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2014.891633 Mishra, P., & Keohler, M. J. (2009, May). Too Cool for School? No Way! Learning & Leading with Technology, (36)7. 14-18. [PDF download] I think teachers should be aware of the various applications that can come from VR. As a math and science teacher, I was quickly able to see how VR can be used in my classrooms; however, I have also seen some amazing ways VR can be incorporated in a variety of classrooms. From interacting with other classrooms to travelling the world, VR really opens up the possibilities in your class. Overall, I think it is important to remember that the act of learning is an embodied experience. Students learn not through knowledge being transmitted to them, but rather through experiencing new things first hand. Through virtual reality and gaming, teachers can tap into students learned experiences and create an alternative way of presenting content in an engaging way to students.
Computational Thinking: Tools to use in Classes When students think about robots and computer programs, they often do not see the benefits or relationships between these tools and their interests. Unless interests lie specifically in STEM, these tools or concepts may not appear to be applicable to their lives; however, the skills students can gain through using computational tools and strategies are most definitely cross-curricular. Whether in an english class decomposing a piece of literature or recognizing patterns in poems, or in a history class abstracting general factors that lead to different important historical events, all people require computational thinking skills in order to logically and critically think about problems in all areas of learning. Furthermore, the development of computational skills is only becoming more and more important and prominent in society - yet, many areas of learning relating specifically to these skills, including coding, remain external to the foundational curriculum in Ontario. Here are some of my favorite tools: 1. Code.org and Codecadamey - these a both great resources for anyone to practice basic programming. Although there are differences between these websites, both act as a great introductory tool for anyone interested in learning the basics behind programming. Most importantly, these tools offer users the opportunity to really think logically about problem solving. Find them here: http://code.org, https://www.codecademy.com/ 2. LIttle Bits - little bits are electronic building blocks that can be used in any classroom from the primary to junior level. This tool is great because it can really be customized to fit the complexity level needed for a specific group of learners. Although this can easily be applied in a physics classroom, it would be interesting to see this tool be brought into other classrooms cross-curricularly. Find it here: http://littlebits.cc/ 3. Ozobots and Sphero - these are wonderful kinesthetic tools that really bring programming to life. I was first introduced to Ozobots in a core french classroom that involved had a lesson involving students making road maps for the ozobots. These tools are so great because of the variety of contexts they can be used in, and the pure intrinsic engagement that goes along with using such cool and interactive tools in a classroom. Find them here: http://ozobot.com/, http://www.sphero.com/ Image: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zp92mp3/revision Yadav, A., Mayfield, C., Zhou, N., Hambrusch, S., & Korb, J.T. (2014). Computational thinking in elementary and secondary teacher education. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 14(1), 5:1-5:16.
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