When thinking about how classroom technology can have a positive or negative effect on a student’s Literacy this Acrostic poem can help give you an idea.
Lack of proper Language skills
Ideas are at your finger tips
Teachers are almost irrelevant
Engaging Students
Reading Facebook instead of books
Access to different Resources
Catastrophic effects
Yearning for Learning
However, with the proper training and usage of technology in the classroom it can be more of a positive literacy tool for students.
Literacy can be defined in many ways, such as reading and language skills, however it also includes communication skills, cultural awareness, adaptation/change with the times, and collaboration.
BUT GUESS WHAT!! It also includes technology…
Technology is one of the many ways we communicate with each other and how to do it properly which is a part of the Literacy definition. Here we could use a tem called code-switching. Code-Switching is when, where, and how a person chooses to use a certain type of language. For example, focusing in on students, the way a child would talk to their teacher will be different from the way they will talk to their friends. Therefore, students have to know how to properly code switch in order for technology to work effectively with their communication skills especially when it comes their assignments.
On one hand technology can be a negative thing for students, because they can become dependent on the easy access of information, they don’t properly code-switch, they don’t have access to it at home, they aren’t familiar with that certain program, and many more. However, with good instruction and great teacher most of these obstacles can be overcome.
They can be overcome because there are way more positive effects on a student’s education. They have more resources at the tips of their fingers; have more programs in order to help with their effective communication, and etc. Therefore, the student’s Literacy will improve because their communication will become more effective; they will become more culturally diverse; and their collaboration with others will also benefit.
So, to wrap this up here’s a poem that may help you think about the effects technology can have on someone personally and academically.
Who R U?
Social media is…
constructing ur identity
destroying ur relationships
remixing ur life
through a text message, status update, or tweet…
r u even the same person?
Be responsible.