A Digital Nation

Viewing this video definitely made me realize that the influence of technology on students is not always a positive one. I feel that our society is encouraging students to multitask, instead of focusing on the task at hand. This is especially significant for young students, as their brains are not fully developed yet. By seeing older students, and people on movies and television, our young students think that multitasking is now the norm, and that it makes them better students. In reality, students' performance suffers when participating in two or more activities. I felt that the experiment they did with college students, in which they proved that multitasking slowed their reaction times, was very effective. I also believe that the issue of multitasking through use of technology is a global issue, and not just for our schools. The fact that it is safer to drive while under the influence of alchohol than it is to drive while texting was a real eye opener for me.

As a future teacher, I want to make a conscious effort to use technology responsibly in my classroom. In other words, I look to only use technology when it is necessary, and not just for the sake of using it. As shown on the video and from experience as a student, I feel teachers tend to give students time on computers that is excessive, and promotes recreational use rather than class work. Especially at the high school level, I felt sometimes we were given too much time in a computer lab, and that meant students were playing games instead of learning. I also want to make sure the use of technology in my classroom is appropriate. If I am teaching a 2nd grade class, I don't feel that using a social network in the classroom would be appropriate. I want to teach my students the skill sets that are associated with these networks, such as communication, collaboration and familiarity with the technology, but do not that type of technology necessary for students at that grade level. Finally, I want to inspire my students to become independent thinkers. It's true that technology can help students learn, but I don't want them to use it as a crutch. I think we all fall into the trap sometimes, of relying on the advanced technology to help us through our problems. Students still need to develop their minds, and as I teacher I take great responsibility in that.