An Introduction

Welcome to my blog!

Are you a digital native or a digital immigrant?

How could you adapt your teaching to accommodate both?

I am most certainly a digital native.  Since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated by technology.  I was the one in my family that could figure out how to set the time on the VCR and the microwave.  My older brother used to come to me to figure out how to download music (which inevitably crashed our family computer, thanks KaZaA!)  I vividly remember the brightly colored white box with black spots on it that my first Gateway computer came in. I was nine years old and absolutely refused to let my father set it up, as I wanted to learn where each cord and piece of equipment went. I was so excited this wonderful piece of technology was mine, and even in 1996, before the inventions of Napster, Google, and the iPad, I could feel the worlds of possibility as I turned on my computer for the first time.

Sometime later, I attended Bucknell University where I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education.  After graduation, I got a job teaching at an all-boy middle school in the East Village called George Jackson Academy.  As a fourth grade classroom teacher, I looked for every opportunity to use technology, despite the fact that we have so little of it at my school. Having a budget of $0 really forces you to think creatively when it comes to technology. I quickly turned an old unused desktop monitor into a screen for my iPad’s noise app, allowing my students to self-monitor their volume. I utilized online programs such as Class Dojo and Scholastic Messenger to improve communication with parents and make my classroom more transparent. I also created accounts for my students on Typing.com, StoryBird, and SplashMath as fun ways for them to practice important skills and explore creatively.

This summer, I was promoted to Instructional Technology Coordinator for the entire school, as well as the fourth through eighth grade technology teacher. I am in charge of coordinating the design, planning, support, professional development, and implementation of technology use. I work with teachers individually on how they can best use technology to aid their curriculum, which forces me to be well versed in a variety of technologies.

There is a common assumption that this generation of kids, because they were raised in an era of constant technology, that they are somehow naturally gifted and comfortable with technology.  I have quickly realized this is not a safe assumption to make.  More often than not I see my students stymied by technology and come to a complete halt when they don’t know how to do something.  My colleagues, even those around the same age as me, are also sometimes stuck by even basic technology.  The other day I had to explain to a teacher at my school how to set up an email signature.  While this blew my mind that she didn’t know how to do so, I had to hide my astonishment and patiently help her.  The same goes for my less savvy technology students.  Patience and the assumption that all information is new information has really helped me when working with the faculty and staff at my school.  Most of them would rather I cover more information and repeat some skills rather than assuming they all know how to do something and jumping ahead.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to turn all of the digital immigrants into digital natives, but I certainly am going to try.