Digital Natives

What is your relationship to technology and in what ways can technology help you as a youth worker?

I use technology everyday whether its my cell phone, computer, laptop, TV, etc. Technology is a tool I use to communicate with friends, family and teachers. It is a tool I use to complete learn and be entertained. Technology is a tool that is used a lot in todays society, however I think that there should be a limit. Marc Prensky makes a valid point that the educators of society should use technology more for learning to teach because of how society is changing. Which is true because many people spend mass amounts of time using it. Children find it more interesting to watch TV and play video games so it could be useful. I don't know if I agree with that being how school should be taught. Yes it makes it more interesting sometimes and children more eager to learn but it takes away from socializing. The more children spend playing video games the less time they spend interacting, pretending, and communicating. I don't see children playing outside anymore they stay inside on Ipads and sit on the couch watching TV. As a youth worker I would interact technology into teaching students but to a certain extent. I don't think preschoolers need to learn how to use Ipads. I don't think that turning lesson plans into video games is how children should be taught. I do think that adding technology to lesson plans will help interests children and make them more eager to learn. For example teaching about history and slavery. Showing a movie on the topic is a great way to show an example. Or teaching math computer games are definitely a fun way to practice. So I guess what I'm saying is technology can be a useful tool and should be brought into classrooms but I do not think that it should take over because I fear a future where children don't know how to talk to the person next to them.