My+Opinion+~

 It is this //teacher in training//’s opinion that technology will vastly improve upon the old model of teaching, but that proceeding with caution, if such a thing is possible with the speed of change before us, will be neccessary. In her article regarding teachers' perspectives, Margaret Johnson states "We strive to acquire tools in order to empower students to accept new roles in their own learning and to expand their possibilities for collaboration and construction of knowledge". As important as this is, it is critical that teachers take their students on field trips and give them many real life learning experiences as well. This generation of digital learners will need a great deal of inspiration and encouragement to be “hands on” learners in the world around them. They will need to be encouraged to develop their own identities and reflect as distinct persons, with their own values and moral codes. As they convey ideas and opinions their identities will become more clear to them and those who surround them.

Digital natives will be surrounded if not bombarded with more information than ever before; some positive and some negative. Furthermore, there is a real possibility, given that humans often take the path of least resistance, that students of today might tend toward the easiest route to learning, remaining firmly planted in front of their computers and avoiding face to face interacting, group works, hand crafted art, field studies, etc. which can seem time consuming to those who are accustomed to instant results.

A definite improvement is that technology levels the creative playing field somewhat in that a student no longer need possess an innate artistic talent to produce an incredible digital creation. There are so many tools to assist in thoughtful, creative production that anyone can become an artist. Access to technology and information is becoming available to more parts of the world. The colaboration possibilities are infinite and present the challenge to teach in such a way that each individual and unique student can combine forces with the use of technology to influence worldwide change in social justice, volunteerism and outreach to name a few areas of global concern.

I believe that any conscientious teacher will have to balance technology in the classroom with interactions with the people and the environments that surround their students. In doing so, their students will posess a broader skillset. They stand to gain happiness in the form of a fuller understanding and appreciation of, and a greater personal impact on the people surrounding them and the world that they live in. To reiterate, the best possible outcomes for students to develop strong and healthy identities will likely come from balancing and combining digital learnings and real world experience, beginning at an early age. An example of this can be found in the following lesson for grade two students , which combines a face to face interview of a classmate with an online presentation of the results of the interview. The goal would be to increase fellowship in the classroom while fostering computer literacy . 

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