EdTech

  Digital Rights The original basis of determining digital rights was to extend physical rights, arguing that the same rights should exist in both domains (Calzada et al., 2021). Today this discussion is becoming more nuanced as more technologies develop and access to tools impact equity of opportunity. New prototype rights presented by Calzada et al. include “the right to Internet access and the right not to be subject to automated decision” (2021, abstract section). In my opinion, internet access should be viewed as an important privilege, not a right, with the responsibility of gaining access falling to individuals and voluntary groups who care about the cause, rather than government agencies.  Taylor proposes a framework of “data justice” which is measured based upon three pillars of (in)visibility, (dis)engagement, and antidiscrimination (2017, A proposed framework section, para. 2). Digital visibility is related to the right of privacy. Citizens should be entitled to vir...

 

  Teaching Media Fluency Media fluency is summarized by Lee Crockett as a two-part skill: receiving and producing media content (n.d.-b). Both input and output require attention to the message and medium (what is being communicated, and what is the mode of communication?). Media fluency in terms of production involves several steps: having something to say, knowing the audience, gaining technical skills to produce content, and making content accessible to others. One must have knowledge of content, design, technology, and communication to be fluent in media.  Media fluency with receiving information requires listening to the message and interpreting meaning through the medium. A study on media literacy’s impact on students’ ability to identify reliable sources on specific platforms found that “media literacy skill occurs synchronously with a variety of media such as newspapers, television, the internet, and social media, but it is in great demand today, especially for people l...

  True Learning “A little learning is a dangerous thing” that is not rooted in a deep scholarly approach. This assertation raises questions to ponder. Today in the midst of a digital information-saturated world, with connectivism on the rise (Kotzee & Palermos, 2021b) and many adults relying on the internet to educate themselves, the question arises: what constitutes true learning?  In research from Kotzee and Palermos, connectivism is critiqued and our society's trend towards self-educating platforms like MOOCs is analyzed (2021b). Although the information is not always reliable on the internet, it is argued that individuals can learn to cultivate good judgment to ensure their learning is based on reliable sources.  The takeaway point is that, as long as a collaborative learning experience is set up in a way that allows students to make good judgments of other students' contributions in more or less the same way that scientists judge each other's contributions, ther...

Click here to see an Infographic about ISTE Standards, TPACK Components, and UDL Guidelines. References: (2022). ISTE Standards: Educators . ISTE. https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-teachers (2023). The UDL Guidelines . UDL Guidelines. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/ Brillante, & Nemeth, K. N. (2018). Universal design for learning in the early childhood classroom : teaching children of all languages, cultures and abilities, birth-8 years. Routledge. Koehler, M. (2012). TPACK Explained . TPACK ORG. tpack.org

Social Responsibility   “Social responsibility defines the concept of individuals and businesses taking the responsibility to act in the best interest of their society and environment while working for their betterment or profit”(Vaidya, 2022).  source: Social Responsibility Social Responsibility, as defined above, is a hot topic in today’s culture which is quick to criticize and vilify opposing views. Many corporate organizations are integrating education and training for their employees on social responsibility, but similar implementation is fairly new to the field of education (Burgos et. al., 2020). Opinions on what “the best interest of society” vary widely, and beg the question: how do we teach social responsibility in a way that is fair, balanced, and politically neutral?  Robert Dycke, in his article “Youth Education for Social Responsibility”, comments “It is a truism that education is shaped both by culture and politics. Because we also are interested in the rol...