#TechReflections

[tmarshconnors]

When Being Online Was Pure Magic!

There was a time when logging onto the internet was an adventure, a digital frontier brimming with excitement and wonder. I remember those days vividly. The mere act of coming online felt like opening a treasure chest full of endless possibilities. Every click, every page load, and every notification held the promise of something new and exhilarating.

YouTube was once a gateway to a world of fascinating content. I used to spend hours watching videos, diving down rabbit holes of creativity, humour, and knowledge. It was a revolutionary platform where anyone could become a creator, and everyone had a chance to discover something unique and entertaining. The novelty of user-generated content was mesmerising.

But as time passed, that magic seemed to fade. YouTube became just another app on my phone, another website in my bookmarks. The excitement of finding a new, must-watch video was replaced by a sense of routine. The platform that once felt like a playground now feels like a familiar, sometimes monotonous, part of daily life.

Remember MSN Messenger? It was the hub of my teenage social life, where every "ding" of a new message brought a rush of anticipation. The art of crafting the perfect status message or selecting the right display picture was a serious endeavour. And then there was MySpace, the social network that let you  customise your profile with your favourite music, quirky backgrounds, and top friends list. It was a place where individuality thrived. 

Those platforms weren't just tools; they were experiences. They were a digital canvas where we could express ourselves, connect with friends, and explore the burgeoning online world. There's a pang of nostalgia when I think back to those simpler times. The digital landscape has changed so much since then, and sometimes it feels like we've lost something along the way.

Maybe it’s not the internet that’s changed; maybe it’s me. Growing up often means losing some of the wonder and excitement we once had for things. The thrill of discovery is replaced by familiarity, and the extraordinary becomes ordinary. I know I have normalised the incredible technology at my fingertips, taking for granted what would have once blown my mind.

The internet has become an integral part of our lives, but in doing so, it has also become mundane. Social media feeds are filled with the same recycled content, streaming services offer endless choices yet nothing truly captivates, Yes I am looking at you Amazon Prime and Netflix and even the novelty of new gadgets wears off quickly. The sense of wonder that used to accompany being online has faded, replaced by a habitual scrolling and clicking.

Oh I don’t know. I guess that’s why I started blogging in the first place somewhere to put all my collective thoughts, regardless what they may be. 

Never mind, I am off to bed it’s 2.45am here in the United Kingdom. 

Until next time! 

[savyswipe]

Unraveling the Dilemma: Contemplating the Un-Invention of Technology

If you could un-invent something, what would it be? Unraveling the Dilemma: Contemplating the Un-Invention of Technology In a world immersed in the wonders and complexities of technology, a thought-provoking question emerges: If given the chance, what would you un-invent? Surprisingly, some might choose the very entity that has shaped our modern existence – technology itself. The sentiment…

[techwithpurpose-nina]

Final Reflection

In this podcast, I reflect on my feelings on tech integration as a new educator. You can listen to the podcast on your commute back home or on your walk to the grocery - it’s less than five minutes long, which makes it a quick way to ingest information while on-the-go! I also think that it’s a more personal way to hear my own thoughts - you can listen to my own voice as I talk about my reflections as they come to me. Join me as I contemplate on integrating tech, always with purpose.

Listen to the Podcast here. 

[macnews-org]

Steve Jobs shot Desktop Pictures for OS X Leopard

Steve Jobs shot Desktop Pictures for OS X Leopard

An ex-Apple software designer claims that Steve Jobs personally shot several of the images presented as desktop pictures for 2007’s Mac OS X Leopard. “Grass Blades,” reportedly photographed by Steve Jobs to be a desktop picture in OS X Leopard (source: TechReflect) A new blog post claims that OS X Leopard wallpaper, or desktop pictures, including “Grass Blades,” “Rock Garden,” and “Golden Palace”…

[techwithpurpose-nina]

21st-Century Skills in Education Practices

The 21st century skills are “Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication), Information Literacy, Media Literacy, Technology Literacy, Flexibility, Leadership, Initiative, Productivity, and Social skills." These are the skills necessary for students to thrive - and not just survive - in the 21st century. It is essential to incorporate these skills into the classroom. Keeping these skills in mind helps us cater to multiple types of intelligences. When our students are equipped with these skills, they are able to become better consumers of media and technology, thrive in social settings wherein they are interacting with many different personalities, and appropriately connect with both themselves and their community.

As educators, we must thoroughly understand what these skills are, plan how we are going to incorporate these skills into the classroom, and consider how we can make these skillsets sustainable. When we apply these 21st century skills during our teaching process, we are ensuring that the learning environment becomes a place wherein students can grow into individuals with the ability to flourish in our current times. We are not just drilling information for the sake of answering identification-type questions in a test or for memorisation. We are empowering students to think critically, ask questions, and be excited about the learning process. Because learning should extend beyond the four walls of the classroom, the content we provide during class must reflect the outside world. Are we talking about problems that exist in our daily lives? Are we introducing our students to information that they can relate to? Do we also practice these skills in our daily lives?

As educators, it can be difficult to find ways to incorporate these skills in the classroom. Finding innovative ways to develop these skills can be time-consuming. Where do we even start? Once we come up with our lesson plans, will our schools or fellow teachers encourage these skills or will our ideas be shot down? In my school, technology is not always integrated into the lesson plan and when it is, it is usually as a band aid solution or used only to calm the children down through playing songs via a speaker or mobile phone. It is understandable that they might not want to expose these 1-3 year olds to too much screen time, but they must also learn how to be more comfortable with technology. After all, technology in the form of tablet screens and laptops is not going away any time soon. There are ways to incorporate tech and these 21st century skills into an infantil classroom without it being too overwhelming.

Equipping students with these skills also helps them develop higher order thinking skills, which will be helpful towards their lives outside the classroom. As their lives progress, social situations and work problems become more complicated and the foundation of these skills which was laid down during their school years becomes the support they need to create their solutions to these problems. If I can encourage my fellow educators to build on that foundation, our students will be better equipped both in the classroom and in the outside world.

[techwithpurpose-nina]

Technology Integration Rubric

The R.E.E.S. Rubric is an easy-to-use rubric that educators can utilize when they’re assessing a new piece of technology they’d like to integrate into their classrooms. R.E.E.S. stands for Relevant, Easy, Effective, Sustainable. These are the four categories I use to assess the technology.

Because teachers really don’t have a lot of free time, I tried to make the rubric as quick to use as possible - there are 4 simple categories with 4 easy to understand questions under each one, to help you adequately assess your tech activity. If you don’t have time to do the entire rubric, you can do the quick version instead! The more times you use the rubric, the more quickly you’ll be able to ask yourself the four questions.

The R.E.E.S. Rubric

The Comprehensive Rubric: Educators can check the appropriate box in order to assess their integration of new educational technology into the classroom curriculum. There are 4 main categories. Each category has 4 questions the educator has to answer in order to assess the technology.

Each question has 4 levels in the rating scale: 

4: Yes, definitely.

3: It could and I can work with it.

2: Not really but I could make some changes. 

1: No, not at all.

If the check marks fall mostly under the green boxes, the technology to be integrated into the classroom is appropriate and can be integrated into the curriculum. If the check marks fall mostly under the red boxes, some work has to be done regarding the technology or another technological solution has to be found. 

Green -  go for it! Red - hmm, let’s think this one through.

The Quick Rubric: To save on time, the educator can ask themselves (or their collaborators) these 4 questions: 

Is it relevant? Is it easy? Is it effective? and Is it sustainable?

You can also download the rubric here.