2012-02-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

Digital Footprint

As many politicians are becoming acutely aware, a person's past or their former identity if you will, is quite accessible on the internet whether they know it or not. A person's digital footprint is far more detailed than the information that they would willingly share with the public and for persons entering the workforce or professionals subject to the public light, this can have devastating consequences. A quick name search on Pipl.com can reveal a person's social networking activities, their associates and often times the digital dirt is accompanied by photos that one might not want disseminated to their family let alone to possible employers. The good news though is that it is not too late!!!

I am rather lucky in some respects in that when Facebook was created I was a police officer, and we were warned of possible repercussions should any information depicting any activities not deemed professional arise, thus my digital footprint is almost non existent. As a student aspiring to become a professional educator, the rules remain the same but the game has changed drastically thanks to technological advances.

What I am tempted to do is warn you about the dangers of almost everyone carrying a camera in their pocket, or about the availability of your private transactions including your browsing history to any person willing to take the time to investigate your online activities. But, I do not feel that it would be productive nor would it conform with this blog site which is evaluating the uses of technology.

Instead, I implore people to become informed and be responsible. As a starting point I recommend completing this quiz at Discovery by Koppel to gain an awareness of just how much of your life is recorded by both the business world and the government. Next, by discovering, modifying and continually monitoring your digital profile, you can use the internet as an appropriate venue to promote your worth to potential employers. Create blogs and websites to demonstrate your interests and your knowledge base, and link them all together so that you are easier to find. By creating this digital dossier if you will, perhaps your online activities will serve to better promote your thoughts to a potential employer or client in a way that is often difficult during the interview process. So take advantage of what was a "Eureka!" moment for myself, always conduct your online activities in a professional manner and promote the identity that you strive for!!!!

Coming up next..... Ministry provided digital resources for both the teacher and the student.

The Illusion of Progress

2012-01-20T01:54:00.000-08:00

How muchtime do children spend with television, music,computers, video games, and apps? How manychildren have access to the newest mobilemedia platforms, such as smartphones and iPads?What do they do with them, and how often dothey use them? These questions are raised and answered by the authors of Common Sense Media and I urge you to look for yourself, as the statistics are alarming. (http://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/zero-eight-childrens-media-use-america) Technology is upon us, and whether we choose it for our children or not, they clearly are being inundated with it at early ages. For this reason, Mike S.Ribble and Gerald D. Bailey of the Digital Citizen Website offer their readers several solutions for embracing this technology.

Ribble and Bailey propose a nine step method whereby children would be educated in the appropriate use of technology. Basically, children would enter the digital world armed with a wealth of information to keep them and their technology safe. Personal and financial privacy is paramount, legal ramifications and plagiarism are discussed, and an awareness of how their technology affects those around them would be created. DigitalCitizenship is a concept which they boast is more than a teaching tool, rather it is a way to prepare students and technology users for a society overwhelmed with drastically changing technology. (http://www.digitalcitizenship.net) To keep pace with society, they deem all students should have access to current computers, software, digital cameras, and more. As well, those students with special needs should be afforded assistive technologies such as page readers for word processing.

What I gather from their concept is that technology is no longer a privilege, but rather it is an essential tool thatmust be utilized in all schools. This begs the question, shouldeducation continue to exist without technology? (By "technology", I mean the addition of laptops, ipads, and iphones, not the assistive tools such as page readers, power point projectors and interactive websites etc.) Yes, technology allows access to learning tools and information, but it is alwaysone click away or one alert away from distraction. For example, did you play with or feed my fish at the top of the page before reading this article? I wonder, is multi tasking removing our children’sability to focus? Unfortunately mostbooks written are not online thus the information availiable to our children on the internet will always be limited and even sometimes tainted. If our children's teachers areconstantly focused on learning the uses of the new technology to inform their proper digital citizens, at some point the upgrading of the teacher from an academic standpoint would suffer and this effects their students.

Before utilizing the latest technology in the classroom, I would also consider the ramifications upon the students of poor socio economic status. Those who cannot afford technology, will not be able to communicate with others, or fully utilizewhat is learned in class through practical application. This could only further the divide that plagues the education system in their attempt to provide equal opportunity to all students regardless of class, colour or creed.

It is only our ego that allows us to believe that we can change things and know how that change will affect the future in every way. We can hypothesize, but cannever predict all of the consequences or outcomes, and it is with this in mind that weshould approach technology. Technologychanges at a pace so rapid that we see annual changes that don’t offer choice, but render previous technology obsolete. It is especially important when renderingsomething obsolete that we stop to consider the possible ramifications of thatprocess. To progress so quickly without allowing the calming influence of time to enter into consideration, is to risk rendering our current process of education obsolete. A process which can always be changed or altered, but one that I might add, has provided us with this choice of accepting technology into our lives. And while I welcome new technology into the classroom, I caution everyone to ensure that it is not just for the illusion of progress, but rather for positive changes that will better our children's educational experience. After all, if we teach our children to use a specific technology in school now, would not that same technology be obsolete by the time they enter the workforce, thereby quashing the argument that they need it to excel later in that very workforce? I leave it up to you, and please any insight you can offer I would greatly appreciate regardless of what position you may take on the issue.

Contemplating Technology

The Illusion of Progress