EME2040 Blog Journal #2

     I began using Microsoft Word in computer class in kindergarten. I used MS Word throughout my time in elementary school. However, as I graduated elementary school and moved onto middle school I found myself using MS Word less and less. Throughout my middle school and high school careers, and so far at FSU, I primarily use Google Docs. I find that I prefer using Google Docs as it saves automatically, you can share and collaborate easily with others, and it is easy to export into other formats. However, there have been some classes at FSU that I am required to use MS Word. Pages is my least favorite word processing software as I find it the most complicated to navigate and I dislike the formatting. 

    ISTE Standards for Educators includes an educator "road map" to helping students become empowered learners by deepening one's practice, promoting collaboration with peers, challenging one to rethink traditional approaches, and helping prepare students to drive their own learning. This "road map" includes subsections of learner, leader, citizen, collaborator, designer, facilitator, and analyst. The most meaningful standard to me under these subtypes is collaborator. Collaborator is defined by educators dedicating time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve their practice, discover, share resources and ides, and solve problems. This is meaningful to me because I believe it is extremely important for an educator to be able to collaborate. Not only is that a key skill needed to educate one's students effectively, but also it always growth within the field on a larger level. I like how collaboration includes students, parents, peers, supervisors, and so many others. It truly is such a key to multiple fields and especially important within education.

    The term "digital native" is often used to label today's youth and can be defined as “native speakers” of the Internet and related technologies. On the contrary, a "digital native" is often a label used to described one who must learn the technology used today. While I have seen a disconnect in terms of fluency of technology between youth and educators, I believe there are multiple levels to this disconnect. I believe that one's background has a large impact on their amount of fluency in technology. Technology is very expensive and not everyone has access to the tools that are available today. Therefore, I don't believe it is fair for one to label all of today's youth as "digital natives". In education, there is even a gap where some schools can supply these technological accessories, while other schools cannot. I anticipate that as technology grows and becomes more expensive there will be a larger gap between fluency. While I do think age will be a factor in terms of fluency, I also believe that affluence will be an even larger factor.