Although I had to miss class this week due to illness, I found Jesse Miller’s TED Talk, website, and PowerPoint presentation to be very interesting. They are all very informative and detailed the importance of teachers understanding how to use social media platforms appropriately.
I love his idea of not banning cellphones in class, and building trust between you and your students. I want to create a classroom environment where my students do not feel the urge or need to use their phones, and where students do not even get the chance to use them because they are constantly busy doing something else. I want my students to understand that technology is not bad and that it can be very useful.
Even though I am planning on teaching grade levels where my students likely won’t have cellphones or their own technology, it is still important for me to teach my students about how to use it safely and how to build healthy habits when it comes to technology usage.
I am very grateful Jesse was chosen to be a guest speaker. Technology will be a part of our lives forever and it is essential that we know how to use it properly, especially in a professional environment.
kalianaewaskow
February 15, 2022 — 9:28 am
I also like the idea of not having to ban cellphones in your classroom because kids should feel like they don’t need/want to use them. I agree that it’s time to change the narrative in terms of how technology is used in classrooms and instead of avoiding it – we should be embracing it. I’m interested to see how the age where students own cellphones changes. When I was in elementary school, it was a big deal if a student had a phone in grade six. Now I know there are students in grades as low as 3 with cellphones – ah. Building healthy habits that are SAFE is such a priority for teachers today.