Final Reflection

Digital Media Literacy Project

Final Reflection

July 6, 2018

Before I took this course, I considered myself to be good computer user digitally speaking. After reading the article on Digital Natives and digital Immigrant, I can now say that I am definitely not a digital immigrant, but I am also not a digital Native. It is an ongoing process which will continue to evolve as technology keeps on evolving. I was definitely a techno-traditionalist. I was afraid to completely move from using paper to completely use technology in my classroom. Taking this course has been an eye opener for me because it made me realized that whether I like it or not, technology is here and it is here to stay. I was born before the digital natives era, according to a research report article and according to Marc Prensky, since I was not born in a time when technology was not readily available to use at all times and because I had to learn over time how to use it, I am a digital Immigrant. 

I must admit that I did not have access to a typewriter until I was in my second year in College. I purchased a Smith Corona Typewriter/word processor. I now have different digital devices which I now know to use. I have a smart phone, I have a personal laptop, a work laptop, a chromebook, a smart T.V. that I utilized everyday. I also have a new Classroom Smart T.V. As I stated in my Pecha kucha, I am able to navigate the web, I send text messages, I receive and send emails, I also constantly send text messages to family and friends. I am still not an expert when it comes to technology, but as I am practicing more every day I fell more confortable using technology. 

Completing this Pecha Kucha Project made me a little uncomfortable at first since I was asked to get out of my comfort zone to be able to complete this task. As I continue to work on it, it got a little easier. I thought I was probably not going to be able to pull it off, but I did. Taking this course and completing this project helped me realized that, I am definitely not a techno- traditionalist. I am getting closer and closer to become a full blown techno constructivist. 

As a caring educator, I know that It is important to acknowledge that students are already interested and engaged in using technology, this creates many amazing opportunities for schools and teachers to benefit from integrating some forms of technology in the classroom and to make teaching and learning more effective. Here are some of the main benefits of using technology in the classroom. 

So, incorporating technology into the classroom is important because technology it Improves engagement.Technology provides different opportunities to make learning more fun and enjoyable in terms of teaching same things in new ways. For instance, delivering teaching through game playing, taking students on virtual field trips and using other online learning resources. What is more, technology can encourage a more active participation in the learning process which can be hard to achieve through a traditional lecture environment. 

Technology Improves knowledge retention students who are engaged and interested in things they are studying, are expected to have a better knowledge retention. As mentioned before, technology can help to encourage active participation in the classroom which also is a very important factor for increased knowledge retention. 

Technology Encourages individual learning. No one learns in the same way because of different learning styles and different abilities. Technology provides great opportunities for making learning more effective for everyone with different needs. For example, students can learn at their own speed, review difficult concepts or skip ahead if they need to. What is more, technology can provide more opportunities for struggling or disabled students. Access to the Internet gives students access to a broad range of resources to conduct research in different ways, which in turn can increase the engagement.

Technology Encourages collaboration. Students can practice collaboration skills by getting involved in different online group/pair activities. For instance, working on different projects by collaborating with others on forums or by sharing documents on their virtual learning environments. Technology welcomes and embraces encourage collaboration with students in the same classroom, same school and even with other classrooms around the world. 

I believe in empowering students to take ownership of their own learning. I believe students learn more when they collaborate together. Students who reach out to each other to solve problems and share knowledge, not only builds collaboration skills, it also leads to deeper learning and understanding. When students collaborate learning takes center stage and great things are great things are achieved!

Modern learning is about collaborating with others, solving complex problems, critical thinking, developing different forms of communication and leadership skills, and improving motivation and productivity. What is more, technology can help develop many practical skills, including creating presentations, learning to differentiate reliable from unreliable sources on the Internet, maintaining proper online etiquette, and writing emails. These are very important skills that can be developed in the classroom.

I believe that students learn best when they have a complete support system that is rich in information, organized. One that encourages responsible and active learning. Technology will definitely be the teaching/learning that will assists us and guiding us thru the learning process. According to, what can I do to help my students and their family Simon Sinek in his Ted Talk presentation about how great leaders inspire action, collaboration, trust and change. Mr. Sinek’s Golden Circle explains how an organisation articulates their WHY and we believe it, then we go above and beyond to include their offerings in our lives. We embrace their beliefs, not because they’re necessarily better, but because they represent values that are important to us. “People buy what you do they buy why you do it” “People believe what you believe” 

For years I wished I had a class website. Every year I kept on saying to myself, I will create a teacher’s web page for next year. Time passed by and still no web page. 2 years ago I had tried at creating one using different online sites and even though I’m pretty good with technology, I gave up in frustration. Because of all of the above, I finally came to realized that creating a classroom web page will not only benefit me, as I will be able to share important , information with students and their families, but also because it is the first step for me in becoming a techno constructivist. 

Sadly, since the use of technology became an important element in students lives, face to face communication between parents and students are not communicating as much as they should. People are changing personal conversations for digital conversation. I share Sherry Turkles’ concerns. Lack of communication have been an issue for many years in my school district.

Just like Sherry Turkle I also believe that humans are under attack. Who is our enemy? Over use and abuse of technology. Turkle states that society is essentially sacrificing conversations for connections. Sadly, the lack of communication between parents, students, teachers is still evident. I see this at my school. Parents are not present during school events (report card nights, and other after school programs). I believe that we need to find a balance in using technology and we also have to teach our students to find balance so that we do not end up over using or abusing technology. 

In this digital era communication with parents have become more important than ever. I believe that we should continue to send letters, fliers home with important information, but I also believe that sending emails, phone calls, robocalls will be a great communication tool because we will be reaching out to more people. I will also add that in order to encourage and engage parents to participate in their child’s learning process, information MUST be sent home in different languages. Parents will participate in their child’s education when they know they are welcome and accepted. So, how do we encouraged and engage more parents to become active participant in their children’s education? 

By making sure we establish a two way connection between home and school.

Establishing a two way communication is important in a child's education. Parents, teachers, students should all work towards meeting one goal. This goal is success. Establishing a strong, friendly connection between school and home promotes learning and it ensures a positive school experience for everyone involved. 

I believe that as teachers we need to reach out to parents, not only when students are struggling with academics or when behavior is affecting performance, but also when they are achieving their academic goals. In this modern digital age, and according to recent data, the vast majority of Americans – 95% – now own a cellphone of some kind. The share of Americans that own smartphones is now 77%, up from just 35% .

This is why I decided to create a classroom web page. This will definitely be a great teaching/learning tool as it is an easy an organized way for teachers to distribute classroom-specific information like test information and supply lists. 

It can also expand learning experiences and encourage student participation. 

A teacher web page will definitely help me keep information organized in one place and will keep things on track. A web page will be a gateway to engagement in a classroom. Parents will also have total access of my page 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This teaching and learning resource will allow parents to stay connected as they are going to be able to check on their child’s performance. The web page is a great way to communicate with parents!

As classrooms move towards blended learning or flipped classroom, a web page will be a vital classroom tool as it will be a safe place for parents to go after school hours to view information about homework assignments, calendar of events, class pictures, study links, and more. Families will be able visit the other online resources on the web page in order to get updated information about the classroom. A classroom web page will be accessible to to my digital immigrant families, but also to my digital native students and family. A teacher or class web page will be a great source of organized information, where students, families and the entire school community will have access to photos, weekly classroom and school messages, upcoming events such as (report card night, family movie night, math bingo night, international night, as well as other events). This class web page wills how students different learning goals which will be addressed as the Units and time progresses. Now, in order to meet these goals students and teachers will not be able to don it alone. Parents are an vital part of this puzzle. I believe that parents involvement in their child's education is crucial. Collaboration between student/teacher/parents/family will encourage, promote and embrace student success.

I hope that by creating a classroom web page I will be able to have the potential to establish parent’s interest and involvement in their child’s learning process. Students will also be able to get updated information on in class assignments, homework assignments, tests, projects as well as other important events. I am hoping and excited to see what parents think about the added feature.

As I am now changing from being a techno-traditionalist to a techno-constructivist and as a person who was scared of change, I’ve come to realize that regarding technology and communication/connection we are all searching for the same thing, to collaborate and to support each other. I am not a parent, but I am an aunt and I am sure I have the same concerns, the same desire, the same goal as every parent have. That desire, those concerns are: they want their children to be successful. Parents want their children to reach their full potential and become a lifelong learner. I know for fact that most of educator share the same desire, the same goal(s). To be able to reach the top we all have to unite and work together as a team Parents, Teachers, Students, and School Community.

I also believe in empowering students by giving them a voice. Giving students a voice will foster learning and collaboration. The teaching and learning responsibility will not fall on the teacher’s shoulder, but it will be a joint collaboration between student and the teacher. 

Once again, as I stated on my Pecha Kucha presentation, I will be incorporating more technology in order to be able to accomplish different learning tasks. I am convinced it will guide me and my teaching as I move towards a techno-constructivist. I know this teaching and learning approach will be a game changer. This approach will allow and lead students as they gain deeper understanding of the material. 

As I stated in class and in one of my posts, my main goals this academic year will be to move towards guiding students to create and produce their own content. My main goal is to teach students how to be consumers, but also to become active and responsible producers.

Taking this Digital Media Literacy class certainly made me realized that the use of an awesome tool called technology is here to stay and we must take advantage of what technology is offering us. My beliefs and philosophy about teaching and learning will be taken to a whole level. The transition from being a digital traditionalist to a digital constructivist. Our world needs leaders, problem solvers. I am now more convinced that technology will give us the possibility to guide our students as they become self learners, problem solvers. 

Technology is amazing! Technology is the fundamental field that has evolved us much faster than nature could’ve done. From tools like spears and axes to ships to trains to airplanes to the Internet. Technology has helped us for many many years and will continue to do so. Let’s welcome and embrace technology!

Now that I am thinking of this course and what I learned, I can truly and honestly say that I truly that being able to learn new concepts and being able to apply what I learned by completing different in class and online activities gave me a deeper understanding of technology and its benefits. Dr. Bogad stated couple of times in class that learning is an ongoing process, I truly believe it is. As a teacher and as a students I was able to see learning never ends, it evolves. The concepts I learned in this class will be helpful as I will be thinking of my at my students and about what can I do to help them become creators of their own independent learning. I really enjoyed taking this course, I realized this process will take some time, but together we will be able to get to accomplish our ultimate goal (student success).

Digital Media Literacy Assessment Form Link