First blog post for LIBE 477B, here we go!
There are multiple areas pertaining to digital literacy and technology that I am interested in exploring over the next few month. Last year I settled into a a full time position at a K-5 school. Here I teach grade 4/5 three days a week and I am the Teacher-Librarian two days a week. Now that I have finally settled into a more permanent position that I see myself staying at for the next few years. I am excited to tailor my blog to fit what I would teach to my grade 4/5 students both in my class and through the library.
One area that I feel can often be skipped over by teachers (I am guilty of this too) is internet safety. With teaching students how to actually use technology, internet safety can sometimes be pushed to the side. However, being safe on the internet is an important skill for students to have. We often hear horror stories on the news about predators, stolen identity and bullying. These are important issues that we need to address with our students so they are aware and can combat these problems with some background information. Through a quick search, there is a lot of academic articles on this topic as well as professionals who talk about this subject. I feel that this would be a beneficial topic for me to research so I can become more confident to discuss with my students as well as important lessons for them to learn about.
Another area of interest for me is how to use technology to help support teaching the Social Studies curriculum. This term I am teaching a new topic in Social Studies that I have never taught before. The Big Idea is from the grade 4 Social Studies curriculum, “Demographic changes in North America created shifts in economic and political power.”( https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies/4). I would like to add in technology and online resources that would support students’ learning. I currently only have a student text book as my resource. Granted they are brand new texts with a lot of local and Indigenous content, just using the text will not create a lot of student engagement. I also have a very wide range of academic abilities in my classroom and a text book is not always the best way to reach every learner in the classroom. If I choose this topic I would hope to find ways to support all of my learners through the use of digital technology.
To end this post I leave you with a gif from the t.v show The Office that is (loosely) about internet safety.
This is a good first post. You have identified some good themes for further reading and research. I appreciate that the themes you identified are tied to your personal context. This will help you create a Final Vision Digital Artifact that is relevant and useful. I agree that internet safety is an important skill our students need. Additionally, exploring elements of the redesigned curriculum will help open doors for collaboration and co-teaching with others.
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