Reflecting on this week’s readings and my personal experiences with technology, I have realized that information and activities related to our lives are no longer private. Technology has infiltrated our privacy and become an integral part of our daily lives, including in schools and workplaces. Just as we need to provide identification for government services, having a digital identity has become crucial for accessing online platforms, applications, and resources from schools and organizations worldwide. Research defines digital identity as an individual’s online representation, encompassing digital attributes, credentials, and personal information (Amenta et al., 2015; Başoğlu, 2024). The blog post on (Digital) Identity in a World that No Longer Forgets by Couros and Hildebrandt (2015) discusses the complexities and challenges of managing digital identities in an age where online actions are permanently recorded. The authors highlighted the importance of understanding how difficult it is to erase negative aspects of one’s digital footprint due to the permanence of online content. However, the societal expectation is that individuals should be able to manage their digital footprints effectively by curating their online presence to overshadow past mistakes and deleting negative images, videos or commentaries and replacing them with positive ones.

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Gone are those days when we write letters to chat with family and friends or wait to attend events before we can network. Technological innovation has transformed how we use social media platforms to network and communicate information. However, from my experience, there is a lot of content on social media platforms that is fabricated and deceptive. Unfortunately, this information is leading teenagers to make decisions that do not align with the reality of life. I have met with a lot of parents who have tried persuading their teens to use social media, but instead, the situation is getting better; it just keeps getting worse to the extent that these kids try to create several private accounts for doing negative stuff, which ends up boomeranging on them. Just like the article by Homayoun (2017) on the secret social media lives of teenagers, I think it is important that parents begin to engage in open discussions with their young children and teens about online activities and behaviours rather than monitoring them or putting limitations on what they can and cannot access. This is an essential part of digital citizenship that involves teaching kids how to behave responsibly on digital platforms. Many of today’s teenagers construct their identities through social media platforms and whatever identity they create today plays a significant role in their future endevours because these platforms now retain information that can be used in the future. So, I think parents, schools, and teachers need to help teens recognize the interconnectedness of their online and offline lives and encourage them to develop their own values regarding appropriate online behaviours (images, comments, videos etc).

References

Amenta, V., Lazzaroni, A., & Abba, L. (2015). Internet Identity and the Right to be Forgotten: International Trends and Regulatory Perspectives. In Handbook of Research on Redesigning the Future of Internet Architectures (pp. 32-46). IGI Global.

Başoğlu, A. B. Z. (2024). Navigating Virtual Realities and Hybrid Spaces in the Tron Cinematic Landscape. In Studies on Cinematography and Narrative in Film: Sequels, Serials, and Trilogies (pp. 19-41). IGI Global.

Couros, A. & Hildebrandt, K. (2015). (Digital) Identity in a World that No Longer Forgets. Available at https://katiahildebrandt.ca/digital-identity-in-a-world-that-no-longer-forgets/

Homayoun, A. (2017).The Secret Social Media Lives of Teenagers. Available at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/well/family/the-secret-social-media-lives-of-teenagers.html

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As an educator, I am required to plan my lessons before going to the classroom. Lesson planning requires the use of various instructional resources that can help guide the selection of appropriate content, tasks, teaching strategies, and feedback mechanisms that teachers can use to enhance learners’ understanding. These instructional resources can include the use of print and non-print materials as well as technology resources.  As an experienced classroom teacher and a science education lecturer, I have had the opportunity to use various hardware, like projectors and laptops, and software, like the Unity app, simulations, and ed apps, in my class. These hardware and software resources encompass a subset of what is called ‘educational technology.”

Reflecting back to how technology was used in my primary and secondary school days, educational technology was more about the use of audio aids (recordings), visual aids (VHS videos) and audiovisual aids (television programs), particularly during special events at schools or in the home. Unfortunately, these technologies did not promote active learning because they were more centred on the presenters (teachers) and the material itself. However, the emergence of modern technologies has provided more opportunity for enhancing the learning and communication process, thereby promoting students active engagement and encouraging personalized learning.

In a simple term, educational technology can refer to the tools, technologies, and resources that can enhance learning experiences. This includes hardware like computers and software like simulations and LMS, as well as emerging technologies like AR and VR (Huang et al., 2019). It’s grounded in educational theories on behavior, cognition, processes, and knowledge construction that are applied in technology development (Ouyang & Stanley, 2014).

References

1. Huang, R., Spector, J. M., & Yang, J. (2019). Educational Technology: A Primer for the 21st. Springer: USA, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6643-7_1
2. Ouyang, J. R., & Stanley, N. (2014). Theories and research in educational technology and distance learning instruction through Blackboard. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2(2), 161-172. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1053980

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my learning summary. I can not believe we have come to an end of this journey. I did not have any idea what I am about to learn. I knew it would be somewhat about technology. At first I was feeling, this is not my cup of tea. But thanks to professor Katia, she made it easy. I got deeper understanding of association of technology and education, as I discussed with my friend and mentor Mishti after the debate. She is the one who recommended me to take this course.

When I was signing up for the debate, I was thinking what left to debate for these topics. Because it felt there is nothing to debate. Every statements seemed to be true! We have debated on five contemporary issues of educational technology. Like technology enhances education, social media ruining childhood, AI technology revolutionizes education for the better, cell phone should be banned in class room and finally technology has led to a more equitable society.

Eventually as I heard from both sides, my opinion got shifted. Debaters made think there is no right or wrong answers in terms of technology. As long as we know how to use them appropriately. It is true technology also comes with its baggage. Change is always unsettling. So blending and balancing our life-style with technology is tricky. It will take lots of work.

The world of technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, shaping the way we work, communicate, learn and live. It will evolve regardless where we stand. When it comes to technology, some people may feel it is taking over our lives and that we need to go back to the analog ways of the past, but I don’t see technology as a problem. I feel we should be flexible and embrace it both personally and professionally.

The current generations only know the world as Internet and screen-based. These kids are used to gaining information with a mere tap on a screen. It’s very different than how things used to be done and even more different than how we could’ve ever imagined. We need to educate our new generation with these new digital tools in order to maximize their potential and give them ownership of their own academic trajectory. Students have more voice than ever before, and showing them how to use it in positive and learning-inclined ways can empower them to success.

In my learning summary video, I have discussed the comprehensive overview of the debate topics. Please excuse my amateur work. I know I look like a zombie in there and I do not want to go into details of all typical obstacles while making this video. For the record, tried to film  probably more than 50 times and my laptop  probably hanged 6/7 times along with other things.

I want to thank you all my classmates and professor Katia. Have a good day. Stay safe.

Reflecting on how much we have covered in this class in such a short time, I realized it was incredibly difficult to do justice to what I have learned in this video! I could have talked at length about each debate. Instead, I stuck with the similarities I noticed across all the debates and where I think we can move forward. The one thing we know for certain is that the world has changed, and whatever side of the Great EdTech Debates we landed on, we are all tasked with supporting our children and students in navigating a digital world.

It has been wonderful meeting and working with you all! I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer.