Blog Post #2

 I never used MS Word much in K-12. My school had us use Google Docs for all of our assignments because it saves automatically and it is really easy to collaborate on Google Docs. Because I'm more familiar with Google Docs I prefer it for now. I think MS Word is nice because there are more functions available I'm just not used to it yet. I've been using it for college so I'm getting more comfortable now.

I think the most important ISTE standard is Learner because technology is constantly developing so it is important to keep familiarizing yourself with new tools. I think continuing to learn new technologies will help teachers create more immersive, engaging, and personalized learning experiences for students. I've learned about available research on learning. I think this is helpful for information for teachers as they try to help students get more out of their time in the classroom. I recognize newer technology may be confusing for older generations of teachers. However, I think making an effort to become comfortable with this technology is the best option for students growing up surrounded by advanced technology.

Digital Native refers to people born into recent generations in which technology has already existed. These people grow up surrounded by digital technology. The term implies a greater comfort with technology and technological terminology. I think to an extent this a fair term to use as youth are generally more comfortable with using technology in their day-to-day lives. There are definitely differences between digital natives and digital natives that I see regularly. Digital natives tend to rely on technology more than digital immigrants because that's what they've always grown up using. Also, younger generations have increasingly shorter attention spans because of popular social media that uses short-form content like TiK Tok or Instagram Reels. I think this difference is one of the few that make an impact on learning experience. Younger generations tend to prefer more engaging approaches to teaching, or different activities (like discussion or a short assignment) to keep them engaged during class. I anticipate this difference will become greater between myself and future students. I think my future students will be more reliant on technology for different tasks. I also think the rise of AI will greatly change the way teaching and learning is approached for the next generations of students.

"Computer Keyboard" by Tim Klapdor is licensed under CC-BY-NC 2.0