Glitter Tech Toolbox

Understanding Today’s Generation……  For many years we have been using generation labels to help us understand and track groups of people to understand how experiences and environment of the time influences their characteristics and preferences. Each generation brings a new set of skills and traits.  Image Source: FreePNGing.com What Generation are you???  Image Source: PNG Kit      While our technology has grown over the last several decades so has each generation's relationship with it. Baby Boomers interact with it in a very different way than Gen Z.  The way I relate to technology is very different from my first year colleagues and students. This is partially due to how technology has evolved and been incorporated into our lives. For example:   When my parents were in school  and when I was in elementary school, if there was a research project  to be done, you had to visit a library and check out books to gather data and information....

  Today’s Learners….. Today’s students and the way they learn is different from the way their parents and grandparents were taught and learned. Today's students prefer to be creative, interactive and have hands-on experiences. They don’t value traditional educational methods, such as  listening to lectures, reading, and note taking.  Collaborating: Allowing students to achieve better Image Source: ClearPNG So the way we as teachers teach needs to change so that we engage our students and spark that fire for learning. One of the methods used is Active Learning.  Active Learning….. Just like the name implies this is a method of learning where students are actively involved in the learning process. There are different levels and types of active learning , it all depends on the students' involvement.   Image Source: CourseSource A blog that I reviewed for active learning ideas was QR Mysteries. When looking at the title this drew me in and had me intrigued. Th...

Visitor… or Resident…. Up to a couple days ago I was unfamiliar with David White’s concepts of “Visitors and Residents” nor had I thought of “Mapping the Internet” to see how I use it. I found this topic fascinating,  interesting, and insightful. This idea provides a framework to show how a user's habits and preferences influence their interactions with technology and the web.  This concept of describing online users was originally coined by Marc Presnky in 2001 using the phrases  “digital natives” and “digital immigrants”. As technology evolved and as well as its users, the terminology shifted to the phrases brought about by David White: Visitors and Residents.  These behaviors are defined as :   Visitors : They don’t see the internet as a social space and don’t have interest in social engagement. They view it as a tool to complete a task.   Image Source: Flaticon  Residents : They  see the internet as a social space to communicate and enga...

  Trends In Tech Education……. Technology in the last 20 years has changed considerably. In 2001 I can remember getting my first cell phone. It stored numbers, had a voicemail and was used to make calls; those were its only functions.  My current phone is drastically different; it is essentially a mini computer in my hand. Not only does my phone allow me to make calls, it has the ability to allow me to communicate through text, access to the internet, be my personal camera and list goes on. With this growth also have come popular trends in tech. We have seen certain items become the “must haves” in our society.   Internet connection, smart phones, and cloud storage are just a few.  Just as we have seen trends and growth with technology in our personal lives so has the use of technology in education. ISTE has a great list of current trends found in EdTech The Hottest Topics in Edtech in 2021 .  There were several that I connected with as an educator. (Online lear...