Digital Natives

This article was very interesting. Part one discussed the two types of digital users; digital immigrants and digital natives. Digital immigrants are those of the baby boomer generations; those who did not grow up with the technology that we have today. The teachers who are digital immigrants find it difficult to teach to the digital natives for the immigrants speak in a different language than that of the natives. Digital Natives are those who grew up with technology surrounding their everyday existence. These students find school boring due to the intensity and fast-speed of the technology era. However, the digital immigrant natives need to some how fuse digital technology into the classroom in order to reach the students. Using digital media will help engage students and will increase the students' desire to learn.

Part 2 of the article explained how everything psychologist and neurobiologist believed about the brain is changing due to the explosion of technology. Particular areas of the brain find stimulation when a child engages in video games or technology. Researchers have now concluded that people of different cultures have a different way of thinking. This was not thought to be the case years ago. Social-pyschologists are trying to understand the brain pattern and structure of the digital natives. The article states that many social-psychologist believe that the structure of the digital natives is definitely different than that of the immigrants. Many educators find that students' attention spans are a lot shorten than that of 20 years ago. However, students' have the ability to sit in front of a computer game for hours, so what gives? Teachers need to infuse technology in the classroom, less lecture, less step-by-step and more multi-tasking into their curriculum to keep students engaged and wanting to learn more.

Overall, this article was very helpful to me as a future educator. I like the authors use of digital natives and immigrants because I find everything that the article said about the two completely true when comparing myself and my father. I want to create a classroom environment that is enriched with technology and I want all of my students to be engaged.

National Educational Technology Standards

For students and teachers, there is a set of standards in which both are expected to exhibit throughout the school year. Students are expected to demonstrate creative thinking skills and construct knowledge using technology. They are to use digital media to communicate effectively and collaborate with others. Students will learn to use digital tools to gather, evaluate and use information. They will use critical thinking skills when evaluating researched material using a digital medium. Students will become responsible digital users and finally, students will demonstrate an understanding of digital technology.

Teachers will demonstrate an understanding of technology concepts and operations. Teachers will use technology to create effective learning experiences for all students. They will use technology to maximize student learning. Teachers will apply technology to assess students understanding. They will use technology to enhance their professional practice. Teachers understand the social, ethical and human issues that surround the use of technology.

Overall, there is a set of standards for both teachers and students that are to be exhibited and mastered by both.

Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling is an amazing way of developing stories told through digital media. The best stories are those that the audience can connect wit on an emotional level. Good storytelling is not about summarizing, it is about using raw, deep emotion to convey the main point behind the told story. There are six elements needed in order to create a great digital story. 1. Living Inside Your Story. This means that the author narrates the story using emotion as opposed to just summarizing the story. The narrator gives talks about first hand experiences. 2. Unfolding the Lessons Learned. The narrator is to express a lesson learned as the story unfolds. The lessons should be meaningful and touch the audience. Each digital story needs to either implicitly or explicitly state the lesson learned. 3. Developing Creative Tension. A good digital story creates tension or a problem at the beginning of the story and resolves the issue at the end of the story. 4. Economizing the Story Told. When creating a digital story, the creator is to make the point of the story using the shortest path possible. 5. Showing Not Telling. Images, sound and music can all be a part of the digital storytelling process. By utilizing these different types of media, the creator is able to express emotion in an entirely new way. 6. Developing Craftsmanship. A good digital story incorporates technology in a way that communicates a message with the viewer in an artistic way.

Overall, using digital storytelling is a way to communicate through technology, enhancing the viewer’s experience. When creating a digital story, the creator must connect with the audience in an emotional way that will really draw the viewer in and embrace the story being told.

Copyright 101 and Creative Commons

Copyright is a form of protection for original pieces of work. Copyright laws have two basic beliefs: 1. Anyone who creates an original, tangible work deserves to be compensated for that work 2. That person should be able to control how that work is used (Tompson 2005) It is especially important for educators to understand copyright laws, for example the fair use law and how to properly use other creators works in your classroom with our breaking the law. Fair use law states that work can be used or copied for educational purposes. (Thompson 2005) For example, copying an excerpt from a book that you want your class to analyze is an example of fair use law. If you were to copy an entire text book you want your class to use for the year, this would not be an example of fair use law because the company would be losing out on monetary gains. Overall, fair use was created to protect educators who wished to incorporate pieces of work into their classroom education.

Creative commons is a way for all people to share creative works with the major on the web for free. Creative commons provides a license for those who wish to share creative works on the web with the masses for free while still protecting their rights as the original creator. This means that the original creator will be protected if someone is to access the work for free on the Internet and then turns around to sell the piece in order to make money. Obtaining a creative commons license is free and suggested for musicians, artists and even educators.