#poleen

The most interesting part of blogging was that I got the chance to learn so many new things and see people’s perspectives on my ideas and understandings. By choosing my own Personal Learning Network (PLN) I was motivated to further my research and lurk through other individual’s ideas to educate myself and have an opinion on what they decided to share with the world. Moreover, blogging has been very interesting as I had my own audience that were interested in the topics that I have explored.  

As much as I enjoyed blogging, I was not the best at it and I definitely have some areas that I need to improve, some of which included using more images and learning how to make my blog look appealing. I also think that I need to improve on my formatting for my posts. In my opinion, my research has been the highlight of my blog and it was done well.

The skills and insights that I have gained by doing my blogs will definitely be useful in my future profession, as when I do become a teacher I plan to blog my journey for the pre-service teachers to engage in and contribute in other teacher’s blogs.

The benefits of PLN’s for teachers and pre-service teachers are that it ‘’promotes community building and collaborative learning’’ (Luo, Sickel&Cheng,2017, pp226), it also helps them engage in discussions. To give you an illustration, I personally as a pre-service teacher follow so many teachers on social media, to see what they are teaching and how they are engaging in the community. It also gives me ideas for when I graduate.

The benefits of PLN’s to students and the general community would be that students and parents will get the chance to see what their teachers talk about and how it has an impact on their education.

In the past few decades, technology started influencing our lifestyles and the way we communicate to one another. It has made our lives simple and uncomplicated, however technology also has its dark, negative side.

Technology is very simple and convenient to use, as you have the chance to get instant replies to your messages in just few seconds. As well as having the ability to use your devices to call or facetime your loved ones instantly even if they are on the other side of the world, connecting to them easily. Unlike the time before the mass use of technology, where you would have to write a letter, mail it, and then wait weeks or even months to get a reply. Although technology has made our lives so much easier, there are a few ethical issues that are occurring due to the use of technology.

Technology has transformed our way of learning and teaching in the 21st century, for instance, most of our research and assessments involve using the internet. It has also helped us develop further knowledge, makes teaching easier and enjoyable as it entertains students. There are many benefits to using technology in the classroom as it ‘’assists language learning’’ (Riasati, Allahyar&Tan,2012, p.2), it also assists students with anxiety to work collaboratively with peers.

Figure 1. Children in Classroom. Nytimes. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/technology/google-education-chromebooks-schools.html (2017)

Technology in classrooms and other communication platforms are great, but there are some ethical issues that must be considered especially for the younger users. As technology is developing, there are ethical issues that must be taken into consideration, two of them being identity theft and cyber bullying. The technology that we use are is not always safe, as we are one click away from getting our identities stolen which can cause us a lot of trouble.

Technology is not always safe and when given to younger users, some may experience cyberbullying (Wang, Heffernan,2010, p.797). Cyberbullying can be a life threating situation, which may lead to suicide, depression and lack of confidence, which is why when children are given technological devices they must be monitored by adults to minimise and report any risks of cyberbullying.

Overall, technology affects the way we communicate and learn. Technology comes with a lot of benefits such as being able to communicate with others globally, as well as teaching and learning virtually while getting entertained. However, technology is not always safe and can get very dangerous.

Could I live Without Digital and Communication Technologies?

In my generation, I do not think that is possible. This is because in our generation, we grew up while technology was getting developed, and we have been surrounded by it our ‘’whole lives’’(Prensky,2001). Technology is a big part of our society and its users are growing rapidly.

Technology is the new way of communicating and living. Without technology, everything would be delayed. For instance, if we did not have technology, the medical industry would start to struggle as, they use ultrasounds, specific surgery machines, and computers to ensure everything is running smoothly and are still on schedule. Furthermore, technology is used for so many purposes, some include spreading news worldwide and knowing what is happening in other countries.

Throughout these COVID-19 hard times, our main communication, and interactions with each other has been based on digital and communication technologies. Technology has made our lives so much easier as it is our main source of entertainment, it is also the new ‘normal’ way of studying, shopping, and working from home. Without our smartphones, TVs, and computers…etc.., I think many people would struggle to adapt in those hard events, myself included. In fact, as I am documenting this for you, I am also communicating with my family overseas through Snapchat and Facebook. Besides, I am also excitingly waiting for my online purchases to arrive as I was just notified by Australia Post via email, that my packages should be arriving at my doorstep today.

Technology has a massive impact on education, as we have moved from the traditional learning, which included using pen and paper, to learning everything via a computer screen. Libraries have also started shifting their paper usage and are making most of their sources available via a screen. In fact, according to Wenborn, ‘’in 10 or 20 years from now we could see libraries with completely paperless reading areas and touch screen information portals that would assist us in finding the resources we need to complete our assessments’’ (Wenborn,2018).

Anyways, lets get back to the question would I be able to live with digital and communication technologies? I personally would not be able to, as I am constantly checking my social media platforms and chatting with friends, and most importantly, I am very busy shopping online and maximising my daily spending limits, that I check through my online banking app.

References

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1. On the horizon, Vol, 9. Issue: 5, pp.1-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816

Games are fun, but is there more to them?

Games are not only entertaining, but they are also educational and beneficial to us in so many ways! Games help us understand our emotions and trains our cognitive capabilities; they also challenge our critical thinking. Digital games encourage us to learn while we are overcoming challenges/obstacles as we are getting entertained and having fun.

The use of educational technology has become very popular in the classroom over the years as they serve a purpose in learning and developing our personalities. Digital games’ use of bright-coloured visuals and entertaining audios assist students in learning as it triggers them to pay more attention in class and engage in the subject further. Games are enjoyable and brain stimulating activities, that help with stress as well as improve our attention span. Research shows that ‘’brain regions involved in attention are more efficient in gamers when it comes to sustaining attention for demanding tasks’’(Ahaskar,2017). Besides, gaming trains our brains in developing a long-term memory skill.

Using Subway Surfers as an example, we know the challenge of the game is to run as far as possible and collect coins along the way, while avoiding getting caught by the inspector and the dog. Does this game serve a purpose? Well yes, it does. It challenges the player to make decisions as fast as possible about the direction that would be the safest to run in next, and what they may have to do to get the powers/boosts that are available along the way. The game gets more tense and stressful when the player runs further and collects more coins, making the player focus and make quick decisions to avoid getting hit by a train or getting caught by the inspector and his dog. This technique trains the brain to develop longer attention span and rapid knowledge overall.

Gaming is not just generated fun, it also ‘’connects us with each other and builds relationships’’ (Kafai, Burke,2015). The gaming culture is growing rapidly every day, with so many new games getting released and gaming servers such as “Discord’’ made especially for gamers to communicate with each other globally.

Overall, there is a lot more to gaming than just fun, gaming serves a purpose in our society, such as building new positive relationships and meeting new people, challenging ourselves and mindsets to reach a certain goal and most importantly, gaming teaches us new skills and for some, it helps reduce stress and anxiety.

References

Ahaskar, A. (2017). Play more video games for better health. Mint website, Retrieved from : https://www.livemint.com/Technology/kytrLoAEc99zUPWgzo0EeN/Play-more-video-games-for-better-health.html

Freya

Pre-service teacher. Believes that education is the most important thing in changing the world. Loves a good iced coffee. Plant mum. 

Macaulay

Pre-service teacher. Wears a beanie 24/7. Worships rats. Also a cat guy.

Poleen