A Spiraling Generation?

Towards the end of “The App Generation”, Howard Gardner offers a dire prediction; he compares our current obsession with apps as a gateway to the dystopian world envisioned in George Orwell’s 1984. Although Gardner does identify some positive characteristics within the app generation (collaboration and tolerance), he mostly identifies the negative consequences associated with technology use. Through his anecdotal research, Gardner identifies a generation that has a difficult time with commitment, a generation dependent on their devices, and a generation with difficult time determining their next steps. I frequently wonder if users of Uber would be able to find a ride without their phones. Gardner does notice some positive effects of “The App Generation”. This generation is more collaborative and more tolerant than previous generations. The question becomes, how do we mitigate some of these negative consequences? How do we encourage members of the “App Generation” (myself included) to be more thoughtful about their technology use and information consumption? Should “App Generation” members still be encouraged to learn to live life unplugged?

In addition to providing the reader with a  nuanced analysis of the “App Generation”, the book can also serve as a guide for understanding the students in our classrooms. Gardner identifies characteristics that accurately describe the students we serve as educators. We need to provide opportunities for collaboration and technology use as these opportunities can play to the strengths of “The App Generation”. Educators should also be aware of the possible distractions that may befall “The App Generation”. Additionally, educators should be aware of the fact that assumptions can be harmful. Obviously, not every student will conform to the model proposed in “The App Generation”. It should be noted that students are used to the technology that they have in front of them, but, contrary to popular belief, not every student knows how to operate every technology tool that is placed in front of them. This is why software skills (ABCs of Activity) are so important.

I don’t think that “The App Generation” is inherently doomed as some suggest. All generations have challenges that need to be handled, and “The App Generation’s” dependence on technology is no different. While mindfulness about technology is something that needs to be promoted with members of “The App Generation”, there is no reason to believe that the issues cannot be solved. Ultimately, educators should take the lead when it comes to educating “The App Generation” about the shortcomings of technology.  

Putting the “Smart” in Net Smart

For educators, teaching the concept of being Smart online is crucial. From an early age, students have technology in their hands. Just because they have the technology does not mean that they are using it wisely. This concept is similar to what learners need to expect when they search for information online. Net Smart, How to Thrive Online refers a little more to online presence (although there is a section on crap detection). The book is helpful in that it details the specific forms of participation that exist online. I think that what is more important about this book is the fact that it starts the conversation about online presence, and raises larger questions about online presence in schools. How should students learn about the notion of online presence? How should one conduct oneself online? How can students learn to be safe online? Rheingold suggests that one should find a community online and participate, but educators should structure that experience for students so that they can learn the pros and cons of online presence before being released into the “wild”.

I find that students don’t always know how to conduct themselves online. They generally know how to use their favorite tools (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc.), but they don’t know how to use different tools, and more importantly, don’t comprehend the dangers. In addition to finding bad information, students also need to be aware of belligerent individuals, hackers, scams and illegal activity. They also need to be aware of the fact that nothing online is private. Computers and digital technology were not built with privacy in mind; these tools were built for collaboration. With this in mind, students should be taught to use the collaborative tools while remaining safe online. From there, students can gradually become used to the etiquette associated with the various methods of online content creation. Learning how to be “Net Smart” is also a continual process. I find that I am still learning how to use all of the tools afforded by the Internet. I am interested in learning how to make online learning more of an effective experience. Above all, I have noticed one thread that unifies all of the topics that we have covered. In the digital age, it is necessary to be thoughtful and reflective when using modern technologies. Using any technology (especially the Internet) without thinking about it can lead to unwanted consequences. As educators, we also want our students to be successful with technology so that these skills can follow them to the workplace.

Clarity Restored

Copyright Clarity did indeed bring some much needed clarity to a very thorny issue. What does fair use mean within an educational context? How does the educational sphere differ from the corporate sphere? It was eye opening to learn just how far an educator can go when it comes to using information found on the Internet and beyond. It is perhaps more disturbing to know that a myth is widely perpetuated by the American educational system. I remember being taught in school that using advanced search on Google was a must. It was necessary to avoid using something that you “did not have the rights to use.” I always knew that educators and students had a wide berth when it came to using information, but I did not realize that it also extends to most of the general public. The only time copyright seems to make an impact is when an exchange of money enters the picture. The perspective of Hobbs makes sense to me as it follows practical logic. It would be difficult to enforce copyright restrictions on the Internet, a platform that lends itself to sharing. If something is not meant to be shared, the open web would not be a logical place to keep the information.

Personally, it has always been my practice to use whatever picture I can find as long as I did not plan on sharing the content in public. Now that I have some “clarity” surrounding this issue, I do want to dispel this myth amongst my colleagues. I would, however, use a different approach with students. Even though educators do not need to worry about copyright issues as much as previously thought, it is necessary to keep the lessons learned from The Information Diet in mind. Even though it may be easier to use information fairly, this ease of use does not negate the need to exercise prudent information sorting. Students still need to question their information sources. Just because information can be used, does not necessarily mean that it should be. I still believe that plagiarism is something that needs to be taken seriously. There is still a line that should not be crossed. Blindly copying information from the Internet does not help students achieve anything; students need to take that information and make it their own through reflection, application and extension. This is what we need to include when we teach students to find information online. They need to understand that there are different standards depending on the information (and form of information) that is being accessed. Students still need to be taught that they need to cite sources. They still need to investigate who is providing them with different information on websites.  With all of this in mind, I do think that teaching students to exercise caution in the area of information sorting is still worthwhile.

Adding Conscious to Consumption

The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption, provides an overwhelming amount of factors to consider when teaching students how to use information inside and outside of the classroom. The author uses a food analogy to make the reader consider how using information can be harmful. If we aren’t careful about what we eat, our bodies will suffer the consequences. The same thing can be said about information. In the case of food, multiple agricultural revolutions helped the world grow more food in a manner more efficient and cost effective than ever thought possible. In the case of information, the Internet and the services that come with the Internet (i.e. social media) made information more accessible than ever thought possible. One issue that is a natural consequence of the aforementioned efficiency is the fact that both unhealthy amounts of food and information are easily available to consumers. In fact, it is just as easy to inadvertently consume unhealthy food as it is to passively consume skewed information. Another consequence of this is the rise of postmodernism. Postmodern thinkers suggest that there is no truth in information; the truth is subjective. This is most certainly a factor that plays into the rise of “fake news” and “spin” that we see playing out on the political stage today. While The Information Diet can certainly be a cause for concern, I think that the message should remain optimistic. We now have access to an unprecedented amount of information. We should show our students how to use information and understand it responsibly.

It also seems like there are many possible pitfalls to consider when teaching students how to use information responsibly. In class last week, we were asked to identify twelve of these pitfalls. At their core, the pitfalls prevent students from accepting information from anywhere without verification. They also prevent students from becoming desensitized, and from relying on only one information source.

For my professional practice, I think that there are many lessons to be learned from The Information Diet. The Information Diet demonstrates the need for teaching students about Digital Citizenship. Last but not least, The Information Diet only reinforces the need for the PICKLE; in particular, problem solving and critical thinking skills are required for information using. I also think that there is an important flip side to the questions raised by information using. Teachers should also be asking themselves, “how can I make my students into responsible information producers?” After all, we also want students to be creators, and share information with others. Students also need to be taught to reflect on the entire process of information production and consumption. Above all, students require an increased awareness about the issues that surround our information consumption.

The Common Thread: Students as Designers

While it is the case that none of the design principles are to be understood in isolation, it is easier to see a stronger connection between certain principles. The final design principle, The Students as Designers Principle, has a very close relationship with The Ends Principle. In order to solve problems, students must create solutions. It should be noted that the element of creativity and the ability to design solutions tend to be highly sought after workplace attributes. Additionally, permitting the students to act as creators provides the teacher with some flexibility. Teachers can be open-ended about the end product or the means to reaching the end product. The Students as Designers Principle really brings the Knowledge Principle to fulfillment. When students are creating and designing, it permits them to use specific content in a thoughtful way. They engage in authentic activity, and can really make the content their own. Last but not least, Students as Designers naturally fosters collaboration among students. Truly great designs encourage students to bring their specific strengths to a project and merge those strengths with the strengths of other students. Design and collaboration also seem to go hand in hand.

In class, we focused on a specific product, a video. While creating a video is not the only way to have students creating, it does effectively demonstrate how students can be designers. We were the designers who were required to master a certain content, and figure out how to best communicate that in video form. My group also found that it was necessary to solve many smaller problems along the way so that our message was an accurate portrayal of the content. Our specific solution was a cooking show that included the perfect ingredients (the design principles). I’m interested to see how different groups tackled the problem. We also gained valuable video editing skills. Having a certain level of comfort with simple video editing and production is a hidden skill that will likely be beneficial to me down the road.  

The big takeaway here is that that students need to be given the opportunity to be designers. It can be uncomfortable in the traditional class setting to provide students with that much flexibility over their learning. I think, however, that enabling students to be designers should put much of that anxiety to rest. When students know that they have a problem to solve, they will typically rise to the challenge. Personally, I felt very engaged in the process of designing the video. The final design principle also opens up new, exciting questions. In what ways can we permit students to be designers? How can we find new problems to bring to students? In a way, permitting students to be designers is a common thread that ties everything together.

Educators Can’t Afford to Skip Affordance Analysis

It is all too easy to embrace a new piece of technology that is flashy and seems like it accomplishes a specific goal. It is the case, however, that the newest piece of technology is not always the best option in the well-designed classroom. In class, I was fooled by the Tangrams. I wanted to find a way to make the technology usable in the context that we were provided. Perhaps there is a way to make Tangrams a more enriching component in a well-designed lesson. Given the specific context that we were provided in class, Tangrams ended up being more like a worksheet than a tool that would truly help students get to the PICKLE.  Personally, I know that I like to be open to new technologies and innovations, but it is worth remembering that not every tool is appropriate for every environment. In addition to considering the place of the tool in the design, it is also worth considering some of the practical elements as well. What will it take for students to begin using this tool? Do they need to sign in? Do they require accounts that will need to be managed? What do I need to show them? Will there be any negative impacts in the classroom? The success of any given technology is not guaranteed in the classroom, but affordance analysis can help you to determine what will have the greatest chance of succeeding, and what will truly encourage students to get to the PICKLE.

I make many of the technology purchases for my school, and we are about to embark on a software review. I’m hoping that I can use affordance analysis as we determine which tools we would like to obtain, and the tools that we no longer need to keep. I also hope that I can help other staff members use the affordance analysis process, and see past the surface level of different technology tools. I also want them to see that affordance analysis is about seeing the possibilities. I also hope that I can help my colleagues match the learning goal with the appropriate piece of technology. Affordance analysis goes hand in hand with thoughtfully considering what the consequences of implementing a new technology will be. These are the things that I want my colleagues to consider as we expand our technology program.

Two-Sided Tech

In life, there are always positives and negatives when introducing a new idea. Typically, ideas are transformed into a tangible action when the positives outweigh the negatives. As a lover of Medieval and Early Modern European History, I really enjoyed watching how this concept was illustrated in “The Day that the Universe Changed”. We know that the printing press was one of the major factors that lifted Europe out of the Middle Ages, and into a new era. The printing press, however, was not without its drawbacks. The episode was fairly fixed on the idea of technology bringing about positive change, but historians know that the printing press combined with the Protestant Reformation caused decades of religious conflict in Europe. Similarly, The Victorian Internet unquestionably demonstrates the same point. The telegraph made it easier to communicate across long distances, but it also opened up new possibilities for crime, and it was expensive to build and maintain. This duality (of positives and negatives) is usually the case with technology, and bringing technology into the classroom is no exception. Technology is disruptive. It has the power to change how humans interact with each other. Educators must consider how technology will “disrupt” (whether positive or negative) their classroom(s) before they decide to integrate it into the classroom.

I’ve observed how technology can be both positive and negative in the classroom. Even when introducing new devices, there are immediately positives and negatives. The positive here is that a world of resources are opened to students. The negative is that students now gain access to everything that the internet has to offer. That is a simple example, but it applies to every piece of technology or technology tool in the classroom. While it is the case that students should be given some choice and freedom with a technology tool, educators need to plan for the potentially negative consequences of technology. Districts also have to consider what resources schools need to keep students safe from the dangers of the internet.

Educators typically ask the question, how can I make learning more meaningful? We should continue to ask ourselves this question, but as a subset of this question, we should also be asking ourselves, how can I use technology thoughtfully to transform the learning? What new possibilities are opened up by technology in the classroom? What are the practical considerations of bringing this technology to the classroom? Clearly, technology can also be a positive force in the classroom. Students can access resources from anywhere, they can collaborate, and they express themselves in new ways. Obviously, questions about keeping students on task, and what technology tool works best given the circumstances will be important questions moving forward.