My Digital LifeBy Jessica Andersen

Top 10 sites/technology:• Cell phone• Ipod• Mario Kart• Walkie talkie• GPS• Digital camera• Internet • Facebook• Flickr• Environment Canada

My Top 10 Uses for Technology

5 URL:www.facebook.comwww.flickr.comwww.dictionary.comwww.google.comwww.yahooanswers.com

My Favorite Sites

(social networking site, you can share important or useless information (most likely the latter) with all your friends.)

Facebook

(Great quality artistic photos, perfect for Humanities or Info Pro projects.)

Flickr

(instead of flipping through a real dictionary, you can cut your time in half by simply typing the word you wish to look up into the search box. I love this site because it includes hyperlinks to other websites that may define the word better; also I love to read the word of the day.)

Dictionary. com

(This site is god of the web. ‘Nuff said.)

Google

(I love Yahoo answers for mundane questions or academic concepts I can’t wrap my head around, the best part of this web site is that you get to see how many people have asked the exact same question.)

Yahoo Answers

Digital citizenship is the concept of the web being like a community. As in all communities, there are contributing members and those who would rather destroy than create. Good digital citizenship is someone who does not use profane language, does not belittle others through the instrument of the web, keeps all images and text clean, does not invade the privacy of others and cites all ideas from where they came. I always tried to be a good digital citizen, but until now I did not know what that fully entailed. From now on I will abide by all the rules.

Citizenship

The perfect technological classroom is hard to imagine. As is, I think our school, our classroom especially, is doing quite well. I would keep the smart boards, of course, because they are a good interactive aid between the classroom and the rest of the world. I like how we use computers quite often; typing is a crucial skill in today’s society and being able to navigate the intricacies of a program is essential. These two things I would keep as they are. However, there are some changes that I believe could be functional in the classroom. Tools such as webcams, laptops, youtube, facebook and itunes could all be useful in the classroom setting. Webcams could allow the classroom to be connected to anywhere in the world. Laptops bring the internet closer to the desk of a student, allowing for simultaneous research and learning. While the teacher was teaching a particular subject, the students would have all the information on the subject at their fingertips.

Ideal Technological Classroom

This would allow for more interactive learning. Youtube is useful for the obvious reason, viewing footage on a specific subject. However, youtube would also allow the students to share their own knowledge and findings with the world. Facebook may seem like a counterproductive thing to introduce to the classroom but there are some upsides to social networking. Students would become closer, information and ideas could be shared online, when other communications failed. This particular tool may need some strict rules to keep students in line. Now, itunes may seem like a strange choice, but I believe it would contribute to alternative learning styles. Many people are musically smart, and access to itunes would allow students to express their learning or concepts through music. All of this is hypothetical, of course, and some ideas won’t work, but they are worth a try and could enrich our learning. This is the age of technology, as Mark Prensky said this generation is the dawn of the ‘digital natives.’ This is what we know; where we belong.

Ideal Technological Classroom

•Some students would be unable to afford a laptop or other internet instruments.•Some parents would object to their children being readily accessible to anyone on the internet.•The teacher may find it harder to control or supervise their class, not to mention they would have a hard time keeping the children’s attention.

Issues

•Fundraising and government grants (if possible) may aid in the purchase of some laptops for students that could not afford their own.•Permission forms must be signed to allow children onto the internet. •Use laptops on a trial basis, if students prove they cannot handle it, they will have their permission revoked.

Solutions