Digital Nation:Virtual World versus Reality

We live in a digital age, where we can cross the border of existence from reality to into a virtual world. We can recreate our image online. You can create a Avatar image, and give it abilities you would like to have. I would like to experience the virtual world more than I have. The movie "Digital World," presented by Frontline gave me a new outlook into the new digital world that is at our finger tips. It can be a way to interact with coworkers. Companies are having meetings online, rather than in real life. You can interact with coworkers you have never meet in person before. We are eliminating some forms of alienation, but we are also producing new forms of alienation. I think it is scary to think that we are interacting with some one's creation of themselves rather than the actual person. I think that we should not eliminate human contact in the work place. We should still know how to interact with people in the work place. Virtual worlds should not replace reality, but instead should give us a break from reality.

Virtual worlds are not only giving us a way to 'escape' reality, they are giving us a way to experience things we have never experienced before. It is weird to think a child can experience swimming with whales virtually, and then really believe that they have swam with whales. I don't think we should manipulate the way people think, but it is becoming more of a reality. Virtual experiences can be used to help people with PSD, Post traumatic stress disorder. I think virtual reality can be used to help people, without being used to manipulate people. I don't think we should use it to recruit people for the military, but this is happening faster than we can stop it. Wars are becoming more virtual. We have people piloting unmanned planes from our own country. These military 'pilots' are basically killing enemies from thousands of miles away, and then going straight home afterwards. Some of these men and women are dealing with PSD, just like the soldiers fighting in the actual war zone. I think it is phenomenal way to save lives, but we don't know the full implications virtual wars are going to have on the mental states of our soldiers, and the full impact this new way of fighting is going to have.

Digital Nation: Internet addiction

We are a nation that thrives on the Internet. It is no longer something that we think about, it is a part of our lives. Most teenagers and young adults in our country view the Internet has an extension of their existence. I find myself on facebook at least once a day. We feel lost if we don't know what's going. Access is no longer limited to the computer, it's on your phone. Sometimes I carry my phone with me as if it's a lifeline. My phone is wakes me up in the morning, and when I'm bored I go on the Internet. I still remember the days when I'd go away with my family for a week, and not have any idea what was going on at home.Today, there is little escape from the Internet. We have literally immersed ourselves in it.

I think that the use of technology is becoming an addiction for some people. It takes will power to get yourself away from the technology that surrounds you. When I recently watched the movie "Digital Nation," presented by Frontline, they brought us to South Korea, where getting away from technology is almost impossible. South Korea diagnoses Internet addiction has a psychological disorder like alcoholism. A huge number of South Koreans are addicted to gaming, and going to the endless Internet cafes. The movie shows us South Korean addicts, but what about the addicts in our own country, where many young adults sit expressionless for hours in front of the computer. I saw one parent who had to email his son to tell him it was dinner time. We often emphasize how the Internet is improving our communication, but I think it is decreasing our real life personal communication skills. Most people who are addicted to the Internet feel they have less of an ability to communicate with others. In South Korea they are now teaching their children how to use the Internet, at the same time they are teaching children to read. The purpose of this is to teach them Internet ethics and manners at a young age. South Korea has begun to offer Internet addiction treatment. I think that we should begin to recognize Internet addiction in our country as well, and offer treatment plans. The Internet is a great place to learn and social network, but it should not replace childhood or the time we spend with our family.

Is Equal Access to the Digital World Possible for all students?

Teachers will be able to provide equal access to the digital world in the future, but at the present it is not possible. The economy is still struggling to recover, and people do not want spend extra money on education. The sad truth is education is one of the first things towns look to cut. People are beginning to set higher educational standards for both teachers and students, but there is not much funding for better educational tools. Teachers usually only have one or two computers per classroom if they are lucky. Some schools have invested in laptop computers for classrooms to share. Teachers can implement technology collaboration projects, where students work together on one computer. Teachers can provide opportunities for students to access a computer lab, so that students gain familiarity with advancing technology. Teachers do not have the power to give each student their own computer, even though it could be extremely beneficial. Students come from a variety of economic backgrounds, and some students may not have their own computer at home. Some students have enough technology in their bedrooms to have a small office. Access to the digital world is widening, but it is not widening as fast as technology is growing. In the future students will participate in even more classroom activities from the comfort of their homes. Teachers cannot provide equal access to the digital world alone, because the community they work in needs to provide the support first. All students should have equal access to the digital world, but some students are still waiting to gain equal access to education itself.

Collaboration is Just a Click Away

The doors of the education world are opening. There is world of technology at our finger tips. Research that use to take days, now takes hours. The classroom is no longer limited to textbooks, and what is out our back door. We have the technology today to communicate with students and teachers on the other side of the world through programs like Skype. The boundaries of countries are fading. The economy has become globalized, and our country has begun the process of globalizing our educational system. Students can gain world perspectives through direct communication with international students. Multicultural classrooms are increasing across the country. Students can utilize various websites to build a greater understanding of themselves and their peers. Students can work together to create a Voicethread presentation to help teach their peers. Teachers can utilize programs like Voicethread to create interactive lessons in the classroom. Technology can be combined with traditional teaching methods to enhance teaching for all types of learners. Collaboration is the gateway to more innovative thinking
Collaboration should not just take place within the realm of the classroom. The internet is now a gateway to other educational minds. Teachers can get ideas for lessons from other teachers. Teachers can create professional networks through websites such as Twitter. Access to free knowledge is just a click away. Classroom 2.0 gives teachers access to free seminars, thus teachers can further develop their teaching skills. If a teacher is struggling to create a lesson plan, the teacher can employ other educational minds to suggest ideas. Teachers have to be innovative in world that is rapidly changing. Modern Technology is bringing great minds together to educate the professionals of our future.

K12 Online Conference: " Going Global: Culture Shock, Convergence and the Future of Education," presented by Kim Cofino

This presentation gave a great view of Education in Southeast Asia, and a view into what education is like at international schools.
-Students in Asia incorporate foreign culture within their lives, while still maintaining their own cultural traditions
-Global brands are found everywhere thus demonstrating how the world is becoming 'smaller'
-When people move to a different cultural environment they experience different levels of discomfort. International schools allow students to feel more comfortable with each other, and allows them to gain perspectives from all different types of cultures.
-People need to be open minded about their culture and others
-In Asia technology is everywhere, but in education it's blended with traditional educational concepts.
-Education in Asia is moving towards a collaborative teaching and learning approach.
-The students of the future are going to have to become more like international school students. We have to become world learners.

Integrating Technology Into the Classroom

Technology has already become a necessary part of education system. Technology is changing every day, perhaps more than most of us realize. We are preparing today’s students for jobs that don’t yet exist. Not utilizing technology in the classroom would leave our nation’s students far behind the rest of the world. Technology opens doors for teachers that they never had before. The teachers who integrate technology today are not only helping their students learn in different ways through technology, they are also utilizing the information that is easily accessible at their finger tips. Teachers can get ideas from other teachers for their lesson plans online. They can create visual aids to help their students understand the subject they are learning. The list goes on and on. Teachers can take in to consideration Bloom’s taxonomy to create their lesson plans through technology. Bloom’s taxonomy can be used to help get students to think critically, because students today have to learn how to think on their feet. Bloom’s taxonomy is based on six main objectives: basic knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Technology should help students gain greater global perspectives, and connect with the world around them. Teachers should not replace core material with technology, but they should integrate various types of technology to help their students learn.
Technology can be a practical way for students and teachers to learn together. Students can work together to come up with different ways to use technology within their classroom. Every student has a different learning style. A student might be a visual learner, an auditory learner, or a kinesthetic learner, and most of us are a combination of the two. Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences opens the door even more to the process of how we learn. Teachers have to take in the thought processes of every student. Students can participate in hands on activities one the computer, or they can work collaboratively on a power point project. Students can create graphics and storylines on the computer. Students have the ability to play academic games online. Technology is another option for students to generate their own creative ideas. Technology can help students who struggle with communication, through communication devices. Technology allows students and teachers opportunities they never had before.