Blog #4 - Digital Literacy

1.       "Simply put, we can’t keep preparing students for a world that doesn’t exist. We can’t keep ignoring the formidable cognitive skills they’re developing on their own. And above all, we must stop disparaging digital prowess just because some of us over 40 don’t happen to possess it. An institutional grudge match with the young can sabotage an entire culture."

 

In this quote, Anderson explains that the world is changing, and that education and teaching styles need to change with it in order to effectively prepare students for their futures. It is obvious that students are way ahead of most adults in their cognitive and technological skills because they were raised with technology, and use it on a daily basis – whether they are in school or at home. Teachers should not discourage the use of technology in learning just because they were not raised that way, they should actually encourage it so that students can further develop their skills. If teachers cannot keep up with the changes in modern day society, it could prevent us from ever moving forward and creating new ideas.

I believe this statement is 100% true. I’ve witness so many older people who just hate using technology, and who are so behind the rest of us that they are just making things harder on themselves. I’ve also seen many teachers who refuse to use/allow technology in the classroom, and only stick to old school methods of teaching. While they may feel that this is the most effective way for them to teach, students these days who greatly benefit from the use of technology to help them learn and develop their skills and minds.

Blog #3 - Summary and Response

In Barry's comic strip, she explains how by becoming a professional cartoonist and doing what she loves for a living, it started to take away the joy and freedom of just doing it for fun. She starts to question the quality of her work. I agree with this because I have felt the same way when I was taking an art class. I love drawing for fun, but when I started doing it for a grade I became less confident in my work and began to ask the same questions as Barry did - "Is this good?" "Does this suck?"

Blog #2 - Hourihan's Article

1. Blogs allow readers to comment on its material, as well as email the author of the blog. This creates a feeling of connection between the blogger and its readers that you would not get from a print source.

2. Hourihan feels like blogs are a communication revolution because of how popular they have become. They have gone from personal journals, to widely visited news and media communication methods.

3. I feel that keeping a blog for this class is a creative way to express yourself, instead of turning in a bunch of papers. It is also an advantage to be able to comment on your peer’s work as well. Some disadvantages to blogging would be how unpredictable technology is, and also the fact that everything you put online is public, and everyone can see it, which could be a problem if you put up something very personal.

4. “Publishing” and blogging are great ways to express your thoughts, feelings, ideas, and experiences in a way that many people can read and understand. It also creates, like I said, a connection between people who share the same interests.

Blog #1 - Why is writing important?

My career goals are to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Early Child Development, and become a Child Life Specialist. The duties of a Child Life Specialist include coming up with activities and strategies to help children and their families cope with traumatic injuries or situations. Communication is a very big part of this job, so learning how to write and communicate effectively is very important for me and my career goals. The kind of writing I will have to do might range from data entry and informational-type writing, to coming up with lesson plans and fun activities for the children. I feel that I will have to improve on my communication skills so that I can be successful in my career.