Trends in technology environments 1.3 – Reflect & Share

Digital image

“Just being able to learn as individuals is not enough. The real questions revolve around the social practices, institutional structures and skills we need. What are the challenges you have encountered in these areas, and what have you done to respond to them?

Teaching in Adult Education where the majority of students have a mobile phone and are proficient with Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok,  many educators assume this cohort of students are highly proficient with technology. The term “Digital native” is one used to describe this generation as the majority of people born before 1980 may struggle to even know what “TikTok” is!  Admit it, you had to Goggle TikTok, didn’t you or ask Siri?

As an educator, I have witnessed high levels of proficiency from students swiping right and taking the most amazing selfie to a point the individual is unrecognisable, however, ask a group of students to simply modify an image or remove the background in Photoshop or a Word document and they look at you like you are speaking a different language.  The problem is likely due to students using technology and apps without any thought, it is quick, it is instant and boom they move onto the next thing.  A deeper understanding of how the technology works and taking a pause to stop reflect and think about what they are doing may lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation for the technology they are using.

I use Facebook Groups for my students to share information and keep up to date. The majority of my students have been using Facebook for years; however, the question is how have they been using it?  In my dealings it is evident online social etiquette is missing, privacy settings are not even considered and students appear to take on a different personality online.  In response to this, the first step is educating students about online safety and being a responsible and respectful online user. The challenge is to ensure the learner of today knows how to act responsibly online and use social media professionally and respectfully to ensure we are creating a network of digital citizens that are proficient online as this also impacts their life offline.

If you don’t know what TikTok is, here is a small YouTube video!

I look forward to hearing your views on how social media impacts your learning environment.

Leanne