EDUC 639: Trends and Issues in Educational Technology

Teachers in today's world have a long list of responsibilities outside of educating students on academic curriculum. One of the most important roles of a 21st century educator is to take responsibility of educating students about the importance of being a responsible digital user. In fact, the ISTE Standards for Educators (2022) recognizes how crucial this responsibility is by ISTE standard 2.3 Citizen which states, "Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibility participate in the digital world" (para. 4). Many students participate in social media use outside of the classroom but many of these students do not receive guidance on how to practice socially responsible behavior while navigating communication through the use of digital websites. Therefore, many school districts are adopting new curriculums that teach appropriate behavior and expectations while both learning and communicating within a digital environment. In fact, Phillips and Lee (2...

According to Pangrazio and Sefton-Green (2021) "digital rights are human and legal rights that allow individuals to access, use, create and publish digital content on devices such as computers and mobile phones, as well as in virtual spaces and communities" (p. 5). As students are expected to navigate through a digital age, it is essential that they are aware of digital rights in regards to the concepts of freedom of expression and the right to privacy in both online and digital environments they encounter through social media use and online learning platforms. As educators who provide instruction through technology in the classroom, it becomes a responsibility of ours to ensure that we are always protecting the privacy of our students while modeling to students on how to protect individual privacy while living in a digital age. In order to model digital rights and responsibilities it is key to use appropriate language and behavior when interacting with others, respect the op...

The purpose of media fluency is being able to communicate in an appropriate manner through the use of effective technology resources. As a result, it is the responsibility of educators to model and teach best practices that allow students to navigate through various social media applications with the ability to detect misinformation. According to Crockett (2020)"to be effective communicators we must be able to identify and leverage the most appropriate media."As a 21st century learner, students are exposed to digital content both inside and outside of the classroom where they are expected to participate in online discussions, analyze online research articles, and be innovators through technology websites and applications. Prothero (2022) describes the impact of media literacy by stating, "Media literacy is not just about learning how to spot fake news on social media, it is about having the skills to access information, analyze and evaluate it, create content, and act on...

 Establishment of a Learning Culture I interpret the concept of "a little learning is a dangerous thing" as a true concept because of the idea that the gaining of knowledge is power. As a teacher that strives to be a life long learner, it is important to keep in mind that in order to establish a successful learning culture that fosters independent thinking and exploration one must be willing to admit when they are unsure about a topic or concept. As a result, students need to witness modeling of their teacher before expecting to complete a task on an independent level. I agree with the idea that a little learning can be a dangerous thing because if a teacher is unwilling to bend or change their instructional practices to best meet their students needs then it is quite likely that they are putting their students at a disadvantage compared to other peers.  According to Paine (2019) "a learning culture is when an organization can take insight from outside and share it rapid...

  The emphasis of teaching social responsibility within the classroom is based around educators preparing students to be contributors to the society in which one day they will be responsible for shaping. As a result, it is crucial that educators continue to be committed to fulfilling their social responsibility now more than ever. In fact, Gangone (2021) highlights some of the various hurdles that teachers face today such as socio-economic challenges to differences in cultural and linguistic backgrounds all while maintaining the ability to successfully teach and reach all students in both academics and social-emotional learning (SEL). One of the most important responsibilities that teachers have on daily basis is taking into account the various needs of their students in which many require unique approaches to teaching and learning through differentiated instructional practices. On the other hand, teachers have another large responsibility in which they have the power to shape youn...