Digital Learning-Takeaways and Personal Experience

Dr. Brown's presentation on Digital Learning was very thought-provoking and challenged me to think about how and why we use technology in the classroom. At the end of my high school journey and throughout my college years technology brought my peers closer together as we learned from each other while using some form of technology to complete an assignment. Dr. Brown highlighted a few positive examples about digital learning that included a rich social context of learning, the ability that students have to learn from each other, and that students can learn from watching their peers. I know that I am a visual learner so taking his belief of learning from peers and in group settings made me think about my past and current experiences. I decided to see how this concept applied in the classroom when I substitute teach and with my two boys. In the classroom, it was clear to see when I or the teacher gave direction there were always a few students that were not sure what to do. When those students were placed into groups or partnered up with a peer they were still hesitant at first but upon watching their peers they were able to catch on. Since they had the opportunity to connect socially and have fun while doing it their learning experience was effective as they worked with Apple ipads and Chromebooks. My oldest son Dylan who is now in third grade but when he was in second grade had an amazing teacher named, Mr. Fischer. Mr. Fischer wanted to make reading and writing an engaging experience by incorporating technology. Dylan and his class wrote personal narratives. Through the use of ipads, the story was digitally illustrated while it was read with their voice. Not only was Dylan into the assignment but left that class with a new outlook on writing. Technology continues to change and is becoming more and more common in all aspects of life. I think it is important to have teachers like Mr. Fischer who not only embrace it but find a meaningful way to integrate its use actively in the classroom. From watching Dr. Browns presentation I think it is clear to see that he would agree it is necessary for our students learning process. Technology seems like a pro and con depending on the age demographic you poll. One question I had was why are some teachers hesitant about using technology? Is it their age, the era they come from, or the lack of knowledge that technology can serve in the classroom?