Objective
“Instagram”,”Facebook” or “Twitter,” this is what most students have, and they almost certainly have strong opinions about them. You don’t need to be a teenager to use or understand these technologies, or to use them in your classroom. Frequently, many normal, middle-aged adult uses these technologies with frequency. The fact is, different age groups uses social networking or other types of technology devices, and these technologies are more than just entertainment. These technologies are already demonstrating how they impact the way we think, learn, and interact. Moreover, they are also demonstrating the tremendous potential they have in classroom as well. The emergence of social networking technologies and the evolution of digital games have helped shape the new ways in which people are communicating, collaborating, operating, and forming social constructs. In fact, recent research is showing us that these technologies are shaping the way we think, work, and live. Our newest generation, the youth, is demonstrating for us the impact of having developed under the digital wave. These youth have been completely normalized by digital technologiesit is a fully integrated aspect of their lives (Green & Hannon, p29). Many students in this group are using new media and technologies to create new things in new ways, learn new things in new ways, and communicate in new ways with new people behaviors that have become hardwired in their ways of thinking and operating in the world. Games and simulations have been a key component of nearly all institutions including business, industry, medicine, science and government have harnessed aspects of these technologies for decades.
Reflective
Teaching and Technology can have a reciprocal relationship. The on-the-ground implementation of these technologies in the classroom can directly impact how these technologies continue to take shape. Moreover, the emergence of new technologies pushes educators to understanding and leveraging these technologies for classroom use; so has the cry for educators to find meaningful ways to incorporate these technologies into the classroom from the television, video player, projector or the computer. While some educators may not be very aware to this unwavering ‘call’ and for good reason it is crucial to consider that the excitement over games and social networking isn’t just business and industry “crying wolf.” Indeed, those previous technologies have a powerful place in instruction and the class room; but without them, strong lessons and learning objectives can still be achieved. However, there’s a sharp disconnect between the way students are taught in school and the way the outside world approaches socialization, meaning-making, and accomplishment. It is critical that education not only seek to mitigate this disconnect in order to make these two “worlds” more seamless, but of course also to leverage the power of these emerging technologies for instructional gain.
Interpretive
I think, Digital gaming, simulations, and social networking, these technologies afford us the ability to convey concepts in new ways that would otherwise not be possible, efficient, or effective, with other instructional methods. In other words, these technologies don’t just help us teach the old stuff in new ways, they can also help us teach new stuff in new ways. “Technology gives us access to more and better content, communication, and assessment, but technology by itself does not create engagement” (Bowen, J., p185). Digital gaming and social networking are already a widespread activity in our culture. Therefore, one of the most obvious benefits to using these technologies for learning is that students are often already familiar with these interfaces and the “language” of interacting with and utilizing them. Both inside and outside the classroom, some have been used quite a bit in the educational setting, while others have mainly garnered popularity in pop culture. Some research proved that habitual playing of video games results in the development of new cognitive abilities that translate into the key skills for our transformed world (Facer, 2003). By the ability to process information very quickly; determine what is and is not of relevance to them, to process information in parallel, at the same time and from a range of different source. Moreover, familiarity with exploring information in a non-linear fashion, information access through imagery and then use text to clarify, expand, and explore; and the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving. Some games improve skills in communication and collaboration, problem-solving, and various number-related skills.
Evaluation
The conceptual knowledge is critical because if you can grasp that, then you can transfer skills and morph into other domains, roles, and work more easily. With digital games, simulation and social networking students get to experience the concepts versus passively watching a video on it or trying to visualize it. Without a doubt, there will be challenges to implementing these technologies in the classroom. Even the most fundamental, non-tech lessons have their own problems, but the challenges may not be as great as you think. The easiest way to avoid the problems is to spend a little bit of time with these technologies before hitting the classroom floor, in order to address and potential obstacles. Going into these endeavors knowing there would be bumps in the road, some teachers continue to learn from the challenges and persevere. Like all of these technologies, social networking isn’t without its classroom management blips. As an educators it is my job to continue to explore and expand these technologies, the educational community as a whole will grow its collective body of knowledge of best practices with them. Many agree that games, simulations, and social networking technologies have much to offer education. Yet while the benefits of these offerings are still making themselves apparent, a growing number of educators are making sure they are on the front-end of the wave. By appreciating that the students filling their classroom chairs have a different perspective on the world, these teachers are able to experiment with new ways to connect with kids through these technologies. Moreover, the research is supporting this work, showing that “multimedia education improves both comprehension of the lesson material and students’ interest in the lesson topic” (Brady, J., p32).
References:
Brady, J. (2004). More than just fun and games? Applied Clinical Trials. New York, NY: Random House, pp32-39
Bowen, J. (2012). Teaching naked: How moving technology out of your college classroom will improve student learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Green, H and Hannon, C (2007). Their Space: Education for a digital generation. Leister, UK: Demos pp. 1-39
By:
Kristine Lagdan
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