Youth in Today's Society

Chapter 7: "Not all young people are digitally competent, nor are they all interested in every aspect of the new media (p. 99)."

I particularly like this quote for many reasons. If you would take a look around any populated place such as a mall or restaurant, you will see many people who have their phones. out. However, there will always be those certain few who may not even own a phone. At our school, we have a group of "redneck/country boys" who are all great kids but ornery at times! You should see them on a computer! It takes them forever to type a paper. However, if you would have them to reassemble a small engine, they would be the first ones done. As an educator, it is important that I remember that not all students are technologically advanced.

Chapter 8: According to the 2009 ECAR study, 87 percent of students rate themselves as either early (ahead of their peers) or mainstream (on or par with their peers) adopters of new technologies (p. 121)."

I am shocked at their figure. I know a lot of students are great with technology but I did not realize it would be this high! I was thinking more around 65-70%! This can be both beneficial and harmful. I hope students will put this to good use and not use it for bad things such as cyber bullying! 

Chapter 9: In Sweden more than half of five year olds are using the Internet and there are almost no non-users among teenagers and young adults (p. 137)." 

I am somewhat confused by these figures. Are the kids using the internet simply for games/streaming videos or are they using it for their school work? There are many great resources available on the Internet for young students. I encourage my little cousin to get on Cool Math and play some of the games. While they are considered games, they still help with her math skills and are educational.

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I am in the middle of the road on this particular topic. I do feel that teachers should be responsible for this to an extent. However, parents/guardians should be doing their part as well. By the time students get to school, most of them probably know how to turn on a computer and find the Internet. In Sweden more than half of five year olds are using the Internet and there are almost no non-users among teenagers and young adults (Findahl & Zimic, 2008). In middle school, teachers should be introducing students to programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Some students may not have access to technology at home so it is vital that teachers allow students to use computers at school. Since I work at the high school, most of the students I work with are accustomed to using the computers. However, I still go over the basics with them at the beginning of the school year. I focused a lot this past year on cyber bullying.

For my meme, I decided to use this picture with students who are using a computer. I feel that teachers should build on students' existing knowledge. If students already know how to access the Internet, spend your time doing something else! 

The Civic, Social and Multi Modal Lives of Digital Natives

Chapter 4: And what do young people have to say about their feelings toward digital technologies, politics, and civil action? (Thomas, 2011, pg.49)

I particularly enjoy this quote because we may have an idea what young people are thinking, but we never truly know until we ask them. It is important to ask a variety of young people about their opinion to provide us with a good sample of results. We cannot simply just ask males, as their opinions may differ from that of females. In my opinion, it is important we keep young people in the loop and continuously ask what they think of important matters. 

Chapter 5: They constantly use mobile phones for immediate communication with their peer group and family and connect with each other beyond time-space via Internet sites such as Facebook and Twitter. (Thomas, 2011, pg. 67)

I agree with this statement 100%. I am currently at Duke University waiting on my little cousin to get out of eye surgery; all of the people in the waiting room are on their phones except one older gentleman. My mother is on Facebook, my uncle is watching a YouTube video and my aunt is researching eye surgeries and their success rate. I do not have cell phone service where I live so it amazes me how reliant people are to their phones. 

Chapter 6: From our analysis, it is also evident that regardless of their technical fluency, students still require traditional skills for successful task completion.  (Thomas, 2011, pg.95)

I agree with this quote. Just because a student may do really well with a computer or any other form of technology, they still need instruction. Some skills that all students need to be taught include time management, proof reading, sentence structure, etc. While I do not necessarily work with young students, I strongly feel that students are too attached to technology when they are in preschool and kindergarten. I do realize that it is a way to entertain children but there is a variety of other ways to accomplish this. 

On a daily basis, people are relying on their mobile phones for communication. They use phones to talk, text, Facebook and check other mobile sites. Writing letters are becoming a thing of the past! 

Bibliography
Thomas, M. (2011). Deconstructing digital natives: Young people, technology, and the new literacies. New York: Routledge.

Digital Natives: Reflecting on the Myth

Forward Quote: "Technologies have possibilities (or affordances), but they do not produce social change in themselves." (Thomas, 2011, p. X)
I agree with this quote. When the first Apple products came out, the creators hoped that their product would take off and be popular. But some people had to be the guinea pigs and first test it. If they had good reviews, this probably encouraged their families/friends to purchase the product. As it turns out, their products must be really good as you see many people carrying around iPhones.

Chapter 1: " Some have banned the use of Google, Wikipedia and social media applications in classrooms (Chiles, 2008), while other professors have achieved momentary notoriety by dismantling wireless hubs during lectures, as they can no longer contend with the distractions laptops pose." (Thomas, 2011, p. 1)
I disagree with this particular quote. As a school teacher myself, I do have problems with students and their mobile devices. However, my students know there is a proper time that these devices can be utilized. At the college level, students should have enough responsibility and respect to know to listen to the professor and not be on their laptops. They are only hindering themselves.

Chapter 2: "Obviously, not every kid in America, or the world, has grown up in the same digital culture." (Thomas, 2011, p. 17)
I agree with this above quote. Some kids live in extreme poverty and do not have the luxury of having modern technology. On the other hand, some children are extremely privileged and have every form of technology imaginable including computer, iPad, iPhone, etc.

Chapter 3: "The idea that technologies simply determine the outlook of an entire generation is one that should be discarded." (Thomas, 2011, p. 43)
I am somewhat confused about this particular quote. I would like to have my information and understanding about this quote.

My thinking has greatly changed in regard to the effects of technology. Prior to reading this, I had not really thought about how important technology is to students. I now realize, more so than ever, that technology impacts everyone in some way, shape or form. Older people who are not exactly familiar with technology may view it as a bad thing. However, that is the only thing children have known. Texting, face timing and snap chatting are popular today! 

"The Next Generation"

In my opinion, a technoevangelist is someone who is passionate about a particular piece of technology is wants to share it off to others. In this particular image, the little boy appears as if he is helping his little sister with the toy phone. He could be telling her how it works, what it does, etc. Just as the little boy is assisting the little girl, technoevangelists help the general public.

References
Thomas, Michael. (2011). Deconstructing Digital Natives: Young People, Technology and the New Literacies. New York, NY. Routledge.

Texting and Multi Modal Texts

The most important things I learned from the video are text is loose in its structure, texting is fingered speech and being bilingual is cognitively beneficial. But the most important is a whole new language has developed among young people.

This is the first time I have used Blabberize! It was quite comical. I could use this with my students in a variety of different ways. However, I plan to have my students create one of these every Friday to summarize the key concepts they have learned from the unit.

(Picture is my own)

Digital Media Effects on Conventional Reading and Writing Practices

"Bad and good writing is in the eye of the beholder" (Karp, 2010). 
I have mixed emotions about this particular quote. First, I want to look at it from a student's perspective. Some students have to work really hard in order to receive good grades. If a student worked really hard on an essay and a teacher can see this, they need to be rewarded. It may not necessarily be A+ work but to the student, they are proud of it. On the other hand, let's look at it from a teacher's perspective. As a teacher, I have seen both awesome and not so awesome work. Some students, I know, can do better work than they turn in. Then, we have some students who give it all of their effort and receive only a C. The teacher should be understanding of this and consider the students' feelings.

“I’m just pleased that she reads something anymore" (Rich, 2008).
In today's society, more and more people are relying on their phone and computers for entertainment. Students are no longer reading books in their spare time. Their reading consists of reading messages on their phones from their friends. The one parent in this particular article discusses how her daughter is addicted to the internet. I agree with this quote to an extent. As a parent, I would be happy that my kid is reading something but I would be even more happy if they would spend 15-30 minutes a day reading an actual book. 

When asked to discuss my view on Web Evangelist and Traditionalist, my head starts spinning in several different directions. The Web Evangelist side of me agrees that digital media is changing the way people read and write in the Digital Age. Students are learning to type better at an earlier game because of all of the technology they are using. Auto correct on computers allow students the opportunity to see their mistakes before they turn it in for grading. "Some Web evangelists say children should be evaluated for their proficiency on the Internet just as they are tested on their print reading comprehension" (Rich, 2008). The Traditionalist side of me does agree that digital media are destroying our childrens ability to read and write, to an extent. Students no longer have to use a dictionary to learn what a word means or use an encyclopedia to find information for a specific report."Young people today approach writing differently" (Karp, 2010). Instead of a student creating their own report, they may automatically go to a computer to use the Internet. Very few students brainstorm and put their ideas together. 

The picture above describes my stance on digital media affecting today's youth. Just as the wind vane moves based upon the wind's direction, my opinion moves on a daily basis. Sometimes, I feel that technology is great and students really appreciate/utilize it in the classroom. On the other hand, I sometimes despise it and wish it would go away. When I am giving a presentation and students are in the back on their phones, these are times that I get discouraged.

References
Karp, J. (2010, January 01). Does Digital Media Make Us Bad Writiers. Retrieved May/June, 2016, from http://spotlight.macfound.org/featured-stories/entry/does-digital-media-make-us-bad-writers

Rich, Motoko. "Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading." June-July 2008. Web. May-June 2016.