My Research for Assignment 1 is around anxiety for children in mathematics and using growth mindset and mindfulness activities to reduce this.
Being online all the time or using technology like mobile phones can disconnect you from the immediate world. It is amazing how many people have their heads down looking at phones as the world goes by.
Although I enjoy the Mind Lab and being challenged by doing Post Graduate study I look forward to the end of year holidays where I plan to completely switch off from Google+, Twitter, Blogger, Gmail, and Messaging colleagues. Doing a Digital and Collaborative course online can bring problems of managing time, staying connected with your day job, time for family and most importantly time for yourself.
I had a quick look online at technology anxiety and I found these two articles relating to using technology.
A New Kind of Social Anxiety in the Classroom
and
'Technology increases anxiety; it also tackles it'
Online learning and technology definitely has its place-with moderation. A colleague said in her house we have a technology free Thursday The whole family switches off and plays board games.
click here for the link to the research
My students are currently unable to use Gmail as they are under 13. There is talk that Google will soon allow the under13s access. I would love this to happen paired up with a system like Hapara where emails could be moderated if used in the school setting. Our school does not currently have a moderating system so unfortunately we can not use Gmail safely.
Kids Under 13 Could Soon Get Their Own Gmail, YouTube Accounts
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236645
Interesting the Google Help Forum talks about underage users having accounts restricted due to being underage.
References
Pierce, T. (2009). Social anxiety and technology: Face-to-face communication versus technological communication among teens. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(6), 1367-1372.
This is an interesting point. I personally don't spend a lot of time online other than for work. However I notice that my students really enjoy and value being able to connect with each other digitally. They share their work, ask each other for advice and support each other through their devices, much more than they used to when using books to work in. They also send me emails after school (and even on the weekends sometimes) asking for my feedback or for information. They know I don't work 24/7 but they like that they can 'ask' when a question occurs to them, knowing that I will respond when I see it - this is particularly helpful to my shyer or quieter kids because they don't have to wait for my attention during class.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Sally. I agree with you and really think the benefits of being able to share work, and ask for advice from peers or from you are really important.
DeleteThis is something I've also pondered. While technology has the power to transform learning it's important that we don't get too carried away and work on face to face communication and collaboration too. While I've enjoyed this course I am looking forward to November when I can shut my laptop over the weekend!
ReplyDeleteI guess too much of anything can have the opposite impact of the original purpose it was intended for Dion. As 21st century teachers we however have an obligation to ensure that we are providing our students with learning opportunities which will bring out the best in them. They are a connected generation and they work and function best in a digital environment. Inevitably it is our responsibility as teachers to ensure that the use of technology is, relevant and meaningful to their learning and that there is a balance to how much time they are spending on devices. I find that given the option students will often opt for alternative methods of completing tasks. Like you I feel that some tech down time is essential.
ReplyDelete