Blog Journal #2

Microsoft Word

While Microsoft Word was the standard software to use during K-12 and even beginning of my college experience, I have found the system to be outdated. The system has too many moving parts and too many buttons to figure out where you need to go. Most of the time that I use Microsoft Word, I have to rely on the search bar to get the job done. In high school, we never really used the program, most of our essays or papers were written instead of typed. It was only when I took advanced placement classes that I actually started to use the program, and it was really complicated to figure out. In college, I've switched to using Google Documents to help me write out assignments or for other things. It's a lot easier to navigate, and there aren't a lot of tools cluttering my screen, so I can fully focus on what I am typing. Last semester, I had an editing class that required us to use track changes/other tools in Microsoft Word, and it was one of the most confusing tasks I had to learn within Word. I did use Word during the beginning of my college experience, but I soon switched to Google Docs because the interface was easier to understand and utilize. 

ISTE Standard for Education Discussion 

The ISTE standard for educators that means the most to me is 2.5: "Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability." This standard means that educators are responsible for understanding their students learning abilities and needs, and are responsible to create a lesson plan that tailors to all their students to foster learning growth within their students. The addition of technology with education can help this standard and the student becomes acquainted with the digital world and information. 

When I was in K-12, I had a 504 plan and experienced individual learning plans to accommodate my needs. Being recognized and helped made it easier for me to learn the information with the tools that were given to me. I am also a visual learner, so digital images or diagrams helped me understand the information more than say a lecture. In one of the classes that I had here at FSU, a professor gave her lesson in different formats to accommodate all learning types, which I thought was really thoughtful. 

I feel that it is an important aspect of the education of students to rework lesson plans or teach differently to help students learn the information. One of the subparagraphs of this standard is that teachers should use technology to accommodate different students while also fostering independent learning; which I think can be hard, but a necessity in today's classrooms. Having technology be incorporated into lesson plans will help students grow accustomed to digital learning (in case an event like COVID-19 happens again), and it can keep students more engaged with the information if the technology is made to be interactive. Having students connect with and understand the information is what will foster the biggest growth in their learning experience. 

Digital Native? Agree or Disagree. 

The term digital native refers to the current generation that grew up in the digital world with the internet and media at their fingertips. I agree with the concept of digital natives since having grown up with technology (especially before/after it boomed in the early 2000s) has shaped how I learn, spend my free time, and other things. Almost all of my friends use some form of social network and a lot of my classes rely on technology. The idea surrounding digital natives seems to be true because all this new generation has known is technology and the digital world (e.g. video games, the internet, texting). The largest difference between digital natives and immigrants that I have seen was at the start of COVID-19 when every class had to be turned into an online program. I remember in my chemistry class, my teacher (who was around 50-60 years old) couldn't get the handle on Zoom or online testing. Most of the time I didn't even pay attention in the class because he would have his microphone off or didn't know how to screen share or switch screens. It made learning a lot harder and forced me to learn the information on my own. There are other instances that still happen where teachers can't work PowerPoints properly or don't utilize online teaching tools (google slides, google docs, etc.,) because they just don't know how. It definitely makes learning harder and places the responsibility on the student. 

I believe that when I become a teacher, I will face similar problems as more online programs and software development. The students that I will be teaching will have been born into the digital world and be truly digital natives. I grew up on the cusp of the digital boom with VHS tapes, old projectors, and outdated computers. So, I have a feeling that as I become a teacher, digital literacy will be more important and impactful in the face of education. For instance, I think I'd probably rely on PowerPoints or Google Slides when there will probably be a better, more efficient system when I am ready to teach. 

"samsung phone" by Sean MacEntee is licensed under CC BY 2.0.