In this week’s lecture, guest lecturer Jesse Miller talked to us about technology and how it can empower educators. The main idea of this lecture was that technology isn’t going anywhere, so instead of resistance and restriction, we need to be adaptable and educate ourselves about technology and the internet. He explained this from the view of parenting, in which we don’t prepare our children for the reality of our pasts, but rather help them make sense of the current context in which they live. He emphasises a need to open up discussions with kids in order to help guide them and make sense of their online experiences, teaching them how to uphold their values on digital spaces, and empowering their communication expectations in todays reality. I really resonated with this sentiment, and I’m sure as technology advances exponentially it will become harder and harder to keep up, but that is a commitment I’m willing to uphold.
While there were some contentious views discussed in class that I didn’t necessarily agree with, I did gain some unique insight and my way of thinking about certain things was changed. I think the biggest takeaway for me was that I should try to be more flexible in my views on technology. Especially in the way it relates to human connections. As I have never had the experience of online friends, and rather grew up to fear all strangers online, Jesse made me see that some people have made genuine friendships online, and that these friendships shouldn’t be viewed as any less meaningful just because of the mode of meeting or communicating.
Jesse also brought to light how the internet is worse off than ever, and how people are so consumed in their own cognitive biases online that we have lost sight of the middle ground, and people are more polarised than ever. I strongly agree with this observation he made! Especially due to the excess of mis-information available online, and the villainization of anyone with opposing views. I think as a future science educator I can hopefully focus on how to discern whether a source is reliable enough, because this is a skill that is more important now than ever.
On that note though … There is this excellent YouTube channel called Middle Ground which facilitates debates between two opposing groups.
He also highlighted accessibility issues and privilege associated with technology, advocating for projects that will help minimise the gaps created by financial disparity, like for example government provided wifi. On the flip-side, for those who may not be willing to uptake new technological advances, there should be supports available for these people as well. On this, I completely agree!
Finally, we heard some interesting stories related to technology and teaching, and how it may be difficult to navigate certain situations online, emphasising the need to know your school admin well and to include them whenever feeling uncertain about how to proceed. One screenshot can really change everything for educators, so we need to be very aware of our online presence, as well as our duties to report! Every situation is unique, but if we have good digital literacy, it will make it that much more easy to handle any digital issues that may come our way.
On the topic of dopamine addiction and our phones … I found this article from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Essentially, our phones are scientifically proven to be addictive, and any time-sucking addiction is destined to have negative impacts on student’s attention and learning. I definitely think it’s possible to be technologically literate, while also touching grass now and then for our mental health (second link addresses positive impact of going outside).
Overall I felt like the beginning of this lecture was informative and helpful, but Jesse Miller is a human who is prone to bias, and that began to show through during the last-half of his lecture.