1) My experience using Ms Word is quite grand seeing as it has been the main resource for any work I've accomplished K-12. I have used Microsoft Word to not only write essays, but to work on group projects as well all throughout my grade school years. Since I have a lot of experience with Word, it is very easy to navigate and there's almost nothing that I do not know how to do with a document on this platform. At first glance, it may seem confusing but by 5th grade, I already knew how to do pretty much anything on Ms Word ranging from inserting photos to creating tables/graphs. Once I became a senior in high school, I became educated on the word processing app known as Google Docs and haven't looked back since! Google Docs has been extremely beneficial to me since being in college and I really like what it has to offer. I prefer Google Docs because it doesn't remember or save my files based on my computer since I can log into my google account from any device and see my documents. Also, when submitting essays or any writing assignment on Canvas, the "google drive" option is always available so I can just tap google drive and easily locate my file instead of having to be on my computer to see my saved documents on Ms Word.
2) The ISTE standard that is most important to me is being a learner. Under this standard, being a learner is someone who is willing to fall under humility and lessen themselves to learn what their peers around them may be able to educate them on. A learner is someone who is excited and ready to take in any new content that can inform them on things they didn't know and practice things that are already known, in regards to technology, to advance the current system and become more efficient. This is extremely important for K-12 educators because technology is steadily changing and advancing as time goes on so it's essential that they are listening and trying to learn the new systems and methods to keep up with the advancements and be able to efficiently use the newer technology in their classroom. Technology is tricky but helpful in K-12 classrooms so a educator has to learn the ins and outs of it all and that can only be done by having a positive attitude with new technology and being willing to learn what's needed to better teach students.
3) I agree with the label "digital native" because I am witnessing first hand just how impactful and present technology is for such a young age group. While I grew up with technology and had my first phone at the age of 10, my younger siblings know more about technology than me and it's all before they even turn 10! I think the phrase "being a digital native" means growing up and naturally being engulfed into the world of technology because it is so prevalent around you. To expand, a digital native is someone who is brought into the world with the access to digital technology at a really young age so they're always going to be extremely tech suave and familiar with anything having to do with electronics. I do see a difference in the way I use technology compared to most of my professors. Obviously, there's a age gap between most of my professors and myself so their ability to adapt and figure out technology is way lesser than mine because of the differences in the world we grew up in. Most of my teachers grew up and lived a good majority of their life without the reliance on technology but I have been on social media and using technology since I first started grade school. Therefore, because I have that early experience, I don't have as much difficulty as most of my professors figuring out zoom or any other online platform. Their inability to figure out technology as fast hasn't hindered my ability to learn but it's made me more understanding of the differences in growing up and helped me realize that everyone didn't have the opportunities to learn technology like me. I don't expect many problems with my students in the future and technology because I am still young and hip and I grew up with technology also so I hope I am just as aware of technology advancements as them !
Hi Ariel! I like that you had a lot to say about each topic. I find it hard to use Google docs after using MS word for so long, but after reading your blog post I see that it would be a good idea to have files stored on google instead of taking up space on my laptop. I agree that the most important ISTE standard is being a learner because its how you branch out and utilize new ways that benefit students. Very interesting read!
ReplyDeleteHey Ariel! The insight that you gave on each topic was great. I think the main thing that we all agree with Google Docs is how easy it is to use and how it saves automatically. The simplicity of opening and sharing files through Google Docs makes that so easy and truly the superior platform. I loved the idea that Learner is the most important value. I think that when you are the best at something, it is because you have learned other from others and taken the information learned to the next level. I loved the idea of teachers constantly needing to be learners and especially during these times. I loved the definition and break up of the digital narrative.
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