Reflective Blog

I will be rewriting one of my previous blog posts based on peer and tutor feedback. 

REWRITTEN CRITICAL REFLECTION/BLOG POST:

Yes in my opinion ‘Digital Natives’ do exist. The definition of a ‘Digital Native’ is a person born or brought up during the age of digital technology who are are familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age (Oxford Dictionary). Technology has been integrated into the lives of ‘Digital Natives’ since early childhood. These ‘Digital Natives’ grew up surrounded by technologies like iPhones, computers, laptops, iPads and tablets. Not only did they grow up with these technologies but they also grew up with social platforms such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Google and the internet in general.

Being apart of Generation Y, I have grown up in this ever evolving digital world where we rely heavily on technology. Generation Y consists of people who were born in the early 1980’s to 2000’s. According to the company Genworth Financial, Generation Y represent a significant segment of Australia’s population, approximately 20 percent. I remember going onto the internet and the computer from a very young age. I was born and brought up in an era when technology was booming and becoming extremely popular. This generation I am apart of was a vital time where technology became a part of many people’s every day life. I find myself contributing to the use of technology everyday. I use the internet, my iPhone and laptop on a daily basis. Some of my favourite applications that I cannot live without are Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. They are a great way for me to stay connected with friends and family, keep up to date with the latest trends, celebrity gossip and also world wide news and events. 

During our tutorial we discussed this concept of ‘Digital Natives’ and ’Digital Immigrants’ the definition of a ‘Digital Immigrant’ is a person born or brought up before the widespread use of digital technology (Oxford Dictionary). After reading various articles on the issue I came to the conclusion that all these new technologies are changing the way young people communicate, socialise, create and learn. We are in desperate need of an educational reform in response to these “digital natives”. Our educational systems are not up to date and have stayed the same for a number of years without taking into account these new digital technologies and platforms. ‘Digital Native’s’ brains are programmed differently to ‘Digital Immigrants’ and we as teachers and educators need to be aware and respond to this issue. If we do not how can these ‘Digital Natives’ get the most out of of there learning environment. They cannot flourish in an environment that is at a stand still. Luckily growing up with technology I am very familiar with how it works and how I can use it to benefit my future teaching. I feel this will help me in my career as a Teacher as I will be able to directly relate to this new generation of ‘Digital Natives’ being a ‘Digital Native’ myself.

References: Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.     Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/docview/214629645?accountid=8194

COPY OF PEER FEEDBACK: 

My Peer Feedback 2 by Zoe Glascott:

Zarah, what a great blog you have created using Tumblr. It was very easy to read and I love how you have included pictures throughout the pages as it breaks the writing apart and draws me into the blog more, although I think you should add some pictures of your self and your life to make it more personal.

Your post on “Do Digital Natives exist” was a very informative piece that engaged me as a reader. The use of the oxford dictionary definition was a great addition to make the piece stand out. An idea to help improve your blog if you would like is to make it more about you and how you live in the Gen Y population. You could include about how you have contributed to using technology more.

I have attached a link to an article about the Y Generation which may be able to help you with your piece as it will give you some background information about out generation and explain more about why digital natives exist. 

http://www.genworth.com.au/downloads/4-2-3-Spotlight/spotlight-series-gen-y.pdf

Other than that, I really enjoyed reading your blog post, and think you have done a fantastic job.

COPY OF ORIGINAL BLOG POST/CRITICAL REFLECTION:

Yes in my opinion ‘Digital Natives’ do exist. The definition of a ‘Digital Native’ is a person born or brought up during the age of digital technology who are are familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age (Oxford Dictionary). Technology has been integrated into the lives of ‘Digital Natives’ since early childhood. These ‘Digital Natives’ grew up surrounded by technologies like iPhones, computers, laptops, iPads and tablets. Not only did they grow up with these technologies but they also grew up with social platforms such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Google and the internet in general. 

During our tutorial we discussed this concept of ‘Digital Natives and ’Digital Immigrants’ the definition of a ‘Digital Immigrant’ is a person born or brought up before the widespread use of digital technology (Oxford Dictionary). After reading various articles on the issue I came to the conclusion that all these new technologies are changing the way young people communicate, socialise, create and learn. We are in desperate need of an educational reform in response to these “digital natives”. Our educational systems are not up to date and have stayed the same for a number of years without taking into account these new digital technologies and platforms. ‘Digital Native’s’ brains are programmed differently to ‘Digital Immigrants’ and we as teachers and educators need to be aware and respond to this issue. If we do not how can these ‘Digital Natives’ get the most out of of there learning environment. They cannot flourish in an environment that is at a stand still.

Luckily I feel like I have grown up in this ever evolving digital world where we rely heavily on technology. From a very young age I remember going onto the internet and the computer. I feel this will help me in my career as a Teacher as I will be able to directly relate to this new generation of ‘Digital Natives’ being a ‘Digital Native’ myself.

References:

Genworth Financial International. (2008). Genworth Financial. Retrieved from http://www.genworth.com.au/downloads/4-2-3-Spotlight/spotlight-series-gen-y.pdf

My peers had to choose one of my blog posts to review. 

My Peer Feedback 1 by Isabella Seneca:

Zarah I love the layout of your blog it is easy to read and understand consisting perfect size fonts and title displays. The presence of dot points expresses the main points of the aspects in the post you have created. The use of images attracts the audience to keep reading as there is lots of colour and visuals to help communicate your reflection. I think it would be helpful if you structured your blog into categories to make it easier for the reader to view and follow. For example have your two peer feedbacks in one section or group them into weekly blogs so that it is clear to the audience what order to go by and start construing from.

With your blog post 'An understanding of how changes in technology impact on the way humans communicate, and the ethical issues that surround these changes'. I like the way that you have defined the issue over the years and given a comparison as to when your mum was a kid. However i think it would be ideal to consider your own perspective of experiencing the change of technology from a little kid to its current use. I have linked this article of past, present and future technology that will help you to think about your own experiences and what you experienced as a kid. https://edu.hstry.co/timeline/technology-past-present-future

My Peer Feedback 2 by Zoe Glascott:

Zarah, what a great blog you have created using Tumblr. It was very easy to read and I love how you have included pictures throughout the pages as it breaks the writing apart and draws me into the blog more, although I think you should add some pictures of your self and your life to make it more personal.

Your post on “Do Digital Natives exist” was a very informative piece that engaged me as a reader. The use of the oxford dictionary definition was a great addition to make the piece stand out. An idea to help improve your blog if you would like is to make it more about you and how you live in the Gen Y population. You could include about how you have contributed to using technology more.

I have attached a link to an article about the Y Generation which may be able to help you with your piece as it will give you some background information about our generation and explain more about why digital natives exist. http://www.genworth.com.au/downloads/4-2-3-Spotlight/spotlight-series-gen-y.pdf

Other than that, I really enjoyed reading your blog post, and think you have done a fantastic job.

References:

Genworth Financial International. (2008). Genworth Financial. Retrieved from http://www.genworth.com.au/downloads/4-2-3-Spotlight/spotlight-series-gen-y.pdf

Here is my review on two of my peers blog posts. 

Peer Feedback 1: Isabella 

http://isabellasen.weebly.com/blog-1.html

Isabella, I love the layout of your blog. It is easy to understand and visually pleasing to the reader. The inclusion of dot points is also a great touch and makes it simple to grasp the ideas of “Critical Reflection” in you blog post. 

I think it would be a great idea to include a personal example of where you have used “Critical Reflection” throughout your studies at ACU and how it has helped you. For example you could talk about how “Critical Reflection” helped you in Assessment 1- Part A ‘The Pitch’, how did the peer feedback you received help you make improvements to your digital product and did they give you any new ideas. 

I have provided the link to an article about “critical reflection” that you may find helpful. It goes into detail about how being a reflective practitioner adds depth to students learning. The article may help you think up your own personal example of when you have used “critical reflection”. 

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/critical-reflection-adds-depth-and-breadth-to-student-learning/

Peer Feedback 2: Zoe 

http://zoeglascott-comm140.weebly.com/critical-reflections.html

Zoe your blog post about the driving question “Do Digital Natives exist?” was a well-crafted informative post. I did find the blog post was lacking some background information about what it means to be a “digital native”. You could also mention the idea of “digital immigrants” in your post. By mentioning “digital immigrants” I think it would help the reader gain a better understanding about the driving question of whether digital natives really exist. This would help them form there own opinion on “digital natives”.

I have provided the link to an article you may find helpful. It’s about “digital natives”. The article will provide you with some more background information about “digital natives”. It may also help you compare them to “digital immigrants” as it goes into detail about how they can think and learn differently.

http://workdesign.com/2012/02/digital-natives-a-tech-savvy-generation-enters-the-workplace/

Overall you did a great job, and I loved how you made the blog post personal by mentioning points about yourself and how you could relate to being a “digital native”.

References:

Puybaraud, M. (2012, February 1). Digital natives: A tech-savvy generation enters the workplace. [Website]. Retrieved October 6, 2016, from Expert Insights, http://workdesign.com/2012/02/digital-natives-a-tech-savvy-generation-enters-the-workplace/

New technology is rapidly being developed each and every day and shows no sign of slowing down. These technological advancements are impacting and changing the way humans communicate with each other. “At the heart of this revolution is the Internet, breaking down barriers of distance and cost to make us more connected than ever before” (Nield, 2016). The Web, Mobile Phones, Email and Social Networking are things that majority of people use on a daily basis. They are embedded in my every day life and without them I feel lost. 

Looking back to when my mum was my age (nineteen) she used a land line phone to contact her friends or went around to there houses to see them in person. Today I have the option of texting, using Facebook or even Snapchat to get in contact with my friends. The main concern for me when I think about the implications of this type of communication is does it make the relationship less personal. Personally I would prefer for it to be the norm to drop past and visit my friends to chat in person rather than just send them a quick text. 

There are many ethical issues that surround these changes in technology. Many laws aren’t able to keep up with the rapid pace that technology is advancing. One example of an ethical issue is how “Employers can get into legal trouble if they ask interviewees about their religion, sexual preference, or political affiliation. Yet they can use social media to filter out job applicants based on their beliefs, looks, and habits” (Wadhwa, 2014). Wadhwa then goes into detail about how these candidates can be deemed “socially undesirable”. This to me is very concerning, and I do believe that there should be some sort of law or privacy act put into place. Social networks like Facebook do have the option to set your entire profile on private but many people are uneducated or find it difficult to change there Facebook settings to private as it is quiet tricky and involves a lot of steps. Perhaps there should be more focus on this issue and social networks like Facebook could run educational seminars to teach people. At least then people would have the option to make the right decision for themselves. 

References:

Wadhwa, V. (2014, September 19). Laws and ethics can’t keep pace with technology. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/526401/laws-and-ethics-cant-keep-pace-with-technology/, https://www.technologyreview.com/s/526401/laws-and-ethics-cant-keep-pace-with-technology/

Yes in my opinion ‘Digital Natives’ do exist. The definition of a ‘Digital Native’ is a person born or brought up during the age of digital technology who are are familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age (Oxford Dictionary). Technology has been integrated into the lives of 'Digital Natives’ since early childhood. These ‘Digital Natives’ grew up surrounded by technologies like iPhones, computers, laptops, iPads and tablets. Not only did they grow up with these technologies but they also grew up with social platforms such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Google and the internet in general. 

During our tutorial we discussed this concept of ‘Digital Natives and ’Digital Immigrants’ the definition of a ‘Digital Immigrant’ is a person born or brought up before the widespread use of digital technology (Oxford Dictionary). After reading various articles on the issue I came to the conclusion that all these new technologies are changing the way young people communicate, socialise, create and learn. We are in desperate need of an educational reform in response to these "digital natives". Our educational systems are not up to date and have stayed the same for a number of years without taking into account these new digital technologies and platforms. ‘Digital Native’s’ brains are programmed differently to ‘Digital Immigrants’ and we as teachers and educators need to be aware and respond to this issue. If we do not how can these ‘Digital Natives’ get the most out of of there learning environment. They cannot flourish in an environment that is at a stand still.

Luckily I feel like I have grown up in this ever evolving digital world where we rely heavily on technology. From a very young age I remember going onto the internet and the computer. I feel this will help me in my career as a Teacher as I will be able to directly relate to this new generation of ‘Digital Natives’ being a ‘Digital Native’ myself.

References:

Being a reflective practitioner means I will be taking the time and responsibility to evaluate my actions, choices and decisions within my career as a Pre-Service Teacher/Teacher. There are four processes to reflective thinking:

1. Self awareness

2. Critical analysis

3. Synthesis 

4. Evaluation 

I will be able to ask my self “How can I improve this?” and “What could I change?” by asking myself these type of questions it will enable me to flourish and constantly improve myself and my teaching methods. Being a reflective practitioner will allow me to excel in my career both personally and professionally. It will enable me to be the best teacher I can possibly be. In life everyone strives to constantly improve and better themselves and these are the exact principles of being a ‘Reflective Practitioner’. 

The purpose of my reflective blog is to explore and respond to a range of critical questions and topics discussed in various readings, tutorials and lectures throughout the semester. The main focus of my blog will be on the topic of ‘Digital Communication Technologies’.

I will explore and talk about new forms of digital technology that have been developed, emerging products and how these products are embedded in everyday life. 

I will also explore a range of digital platforms such as  applications, software and websites, for example Twitter and how they impact directly on professional and interpersonal communication.