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Double Journal Entry #5

"Deconstructing Digital Natives"
Young people, technology and the new literacies
Edited by Michael Thomas

Chapter 8
Beyond Google and the "satisficing" searching of digital natives

    "Digital Natives"- young people who due to their digital upbringing are said to be adept and persuasive users of a wide range of technologies. Obviously students today are brought up and surrounded by a world consumed with technology. It is virtually everywhere and in everything that he/she does. Does this fact automatically ensure that every student is considered a "Digital Native"? According to Gregor E. Kennedy and Terry S. Judd modern students in the current world of academics, seem comfortable with the idea that they are avid users and adopters of new technologies, or fluent in information literacy. Information literacy is defined by the set of skills and knowledge that allows us to find, evaluate, and use the information we need, as well as to filter out the information we don't need" (Eisenberg). The the time has come to debunk the common misconception that because most students are technologically inclined they are too considered information literate. Most students like to learn through running Internet searches...but are their searches done correctly or at least beneficial to their research? It is in chapter eight that Kennedy and Judd state that 55 percent of all Internet users aged between 18 and 29 used a search engine on a typical day. But how credible is the information that is being read and received? It is understood that anyone has access to information on the web...this includes adding to and taking away. Anyone can create a website solely based on biased opinion and any researcher can come across this information and believe it to be credible. This is where the so-called "Digital Natives" (students) lose their leg up. Students are lazy and find googling needed information  a lot more simple than conducting serious research. They do not care if the source is credible or even factual. They search simply to get the quickest answer to their question. In return this lazy business completely cancels out the idea of information literacy.

Guiding questions:

1. In your opinion, what did the author meant by “digital natives?”
   As explained by the writer, digital natives are simply the people or younger generation who has grown up surrounded by technology.
2. What is Eisenberg’s definition of information literacy? "The set of skills and knowledge that allows us to find, evaluate, and use the information we need, as well as to filter out the information we don't need."
3. What are the stages of Eisenberg’s “big six” model? task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation.
4. Are search engines like Google beneficial at all, and how are search engines affecting students internet search behaviors? Google is a major corporation, and naturally profit from every search that is conducted. With having said this some can argue that Google is nothing but a money making scheme, which in part it can be...however Google is extremely helpful when needing information quickly.
5. Do you think today’s students are sophisticated enough to fit the “Digital Native” definition? Students are incredibly surprising in everything they do. As a student, myself, I naturally believe that students can be and very much are sophisticated enough to be considered "Digital Natives".
6. How do you relate to this chapter? I am of the younger generation. I live in a world thriving on every form of technology and I am a Digital Native.

Website Evaluation

Website evaluation from Faith Kline

Double Journal Entry #4

"A Fine Line Between ADHD and Kinesthetic Learners"
by: Ricki Linksman, M. Ed.

     "Increasing numbers of youngsters are routinely placed on ”trials” of Ritalin, without first ruling out other factors that could be causing apparent ADHD symptoms. A kinesthetic learner may not need medication so much as innovative teaching methods" (Linksman, para 2).

     Within her article, Ricki Linksman addresses the fact that a large number of students are now being labeled as "misbehaved" or falsely diagnosed with some form of learning disability such as ADHD. Why is that? Some could blame it on certain hormones in foods or make up some other lame excuse. Ricki Linksman however, believes that it is simply a fact that teachers do not know how to accommodate kinesthetic learners into their classrooms. A formal classroom is one where the students sit still, listen to instructions being given, and then complete his/her assigned activity quietly. This is almost an impossible task for a kinesthetic learner. Linksman supports this fact by saying, "Kinesthetic learners require body movement and action for optimal results: they need to move around, use their muscles, explore...If they can’t engage in these activities, they will at least begin to move while in their seats: wiggling their legs, leaning back in their chairs, rocking, or tapping their pencils. When these actions are also not acceptable, they may resort to misbehavior as part of a psychological need to move" (Linksman, para 4). This notion sparks the question, how many children have been falsely diagnosed and put on medicine because they learn in a more interactive manner? I believe that this course of medicating children, because they cannot be handled, proves the lazy attitudes and dispositions of our modern educators. Instead of modifying lesson plans and activities to support these children, we label them as being dysfunctional or hard to manage. It is naturally understood that every child learns in a different manner. I think it's about time that we fully realize and support this fact. Teachers have the responsibility to create new and innovative ways to instruct children...of all types and with all different styles of learning. Instead of labeling a child or children for the rest of his/her lives it is time to embrace them and open up to new teaching methods...diversify the classroom curriculum.

This cartoon was my satirical element to my post.

Man pumping 'Ritlain' into a Child Behaviour Clinic,

Copyright in this image is owned by the original artist, rights to reproduce or use the image may be obtained from www.CartoonStock.com.

Double Journal Entry #3

"The Keypad Solution"
 Ammon Shea

 "There is a long and noble history of trying to change the English language’s notoriously illogical system of spelling. The fact that through, rough, dough, plough, hiccough and trough all end with -ough, yet none of them sound the same as any of the others, is the sort of thing that has been vexing poets and learners of English for quite some time" (Shea, para. 1).

    When I first began reading this passage of "The Keypad Solution" I simply laughed out, rather from frustration or pure amazement I am not sure. I found it extremely funny that famous writers and poets wanted and tried to change the form of the English language in a small way. I simply found it utterly absurd. The thoughts that clouded my mind consisted of the hypothetical problems that would arise from such a notion. It would take years and hours upon hours of instruction to reteach an entire population their first language. People would always be second guessing themselves and specifically their spelling. I found the notion to be completely illogical and stupid. But then as I continued to read the passage I was presented a truth. A new accommodation has already been added to the English language; one that is frequently used today. Ammon Shea addresses the fact that millions of people use what is considered "text talk" everyday, and in fact this "text talk" is changing the English language. Even though I do not use this common text talk in my life I know several individuals that do and it surprised me to think that these people; these teenagers are the ones who are reshaping our language, our way of talk after many people have already tried to do that and failed.

"Writing is just like texting except that you have to use all of the letters in each word." Not only is this cartoon relevant to "The Keypad Solution" but it present a very true reality...text talk has almost become a second language, if not a first language to many students.

Shea, Ammon. "The Keypad Solution". The New York Times. EnglishTeachersCartoon1. www.cartoonstock.com

Make Beliefs Comix

Our comic demonstrates the reality that there are many areas in which studetns are more knowledgeable than their teachers...especially concerning the technological world. In our comic two students are trying to teacher their educator how to properly use and understand text lingo. However, it isn't working quite that well. By: John, Faith, and Cameron

I am a visual learner.

After taking the "Learning Style Test" I have discovered that I am a visual learner. At first this was shocking to me...for the entirety of my educational career I was thought to be an auditory learner. But after completing the short test and further evaluating my learning techniques I have discovered that I am truly a visual learner. I learn by physically seeing certain materials in front of me, and in saying this I would benefit from underlining important information in my texts as well as highlighting keywords in the notes that I take. I am a note-taker, and physically having the information in my hands and seeing it is how I not only remember the the material but also how I effectively learn. The "Learning Style Test" may not be 100% accurate but it allows individuals to get a better understanding as to how they properly learn...not that there is only one proper way to learn, but it gives them a step in the right direction. The test would be more effective if the questions were not simply multiple answers. Also the questions that were asked were very broad and could have a multitude of answers.

Double Journal Entry #2

"Technology can help many students improve their learning capabilities. In this respect, behavioral sciences are improving the educational technology processes which can identify varied examples of individual differences and innumerable human characteristics. There are many theories that address many students' learning styles. One of them is called VAK." -Web 2.0 Emerging Learning Technologies/ Learning Styles Obviously, no two students learn the same way. In fact, everyone learns completely differently and with their own style. In saying this it would be nearly impossible to try and educate a classroom full of students, who learn in different ways. So, how is it done successfully? Richard Bandler and John Grinder were the two men who developed the concept of VAK. "VAK is a number of theories that divides students into three groups according to their learning styles: visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners" (Al-Takriti, 1997). In this article it is explained how teachers can incorporate different technological tools into their classroom that address all three of the the VAK learning styles. The author lists the IPad, Ipod, E-books, SmartBoards, Smartwatches, and even Videogames as being effective learning tools. I myself, am a visual learner. Therefore, I benefit from underlining certain key phrases in my notes as well as visually seeing my study material. As a visual learner my education could benefit from using such tools as E-books, and tablets. We are living in the twenty-first century where life is not considered normal if some form of technology is not being constantly used. It is simply understood that children of this modern time learn by using what they are constantly surrounded by. And therefore, as educators we must make it our mission to incorporate these effective technologies that not only open students up to future careers using technology but also help them learn, in their style, in the present.

This whimsical cartoon clearly displays how differently visual learners are compared to auditory learners in the area of completing certain tasks. The young boy is able to visualize what the model airplane is supposed to look like, after construction without even reading the instructions. Whereas, the auditory learner must complete the activity using step-by-step instructions.