My students are living and learning in the digital age and they are young enough to not know anything else. As the technology teacher for 5-12 year-olds, I see my job as more than simply teaching them about the tools that are available to use. I know that teaching them how to be upstanding humans who will use technology to make the world a better place is just as important and often more challenging.
I must intentionally focus on showing my students how to successfully use technology in real life.
I will be able to encourage responsible use of technology with books like Dot, Noah's New Phone, If You Give a Mouse an iPhone, and Me, Myselfie, and I. Online Safety can be showcased in Chicken Clicking, The Fabulous Friend Machine, and The Internet Sleuths. The consequences of cyber-bullying, as well as how to prevent it, are portrayed in stories like Shredderman: Secret Identity, Troll Stinks, and Cell Phoney. Making the connection between coding and real life becomes easy when reading about How to Code a Sandcastle or Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding. And as much as we all love the benefits of technology, I would be remiss if I didn't share a few cautionary tales about what could happen if we never 'unplug'. The unpleasant side of technology addiction can be covered in lighthearted kid-friendly stories like Unplugged, Blackout, Trapped in a Video Game, and But It's Just a Game.
These books will be utilized in a variety of ways. I will use the stories to engage students when starting a new topic of study, students will read them independently if they finish a project early, and whole-class read-alouds will be a great no-tech backup plan for weeks when we are without technology due to testing or technical difficulties.
About my class
My students are living and learning in the digital age and they are young enough to not know anything else. As the technology teacher for 5-12 year-olds, I see my job as more than simply teaching them about the tools that are available to use. I know that teaching them how to be upstanding humans who will use technology to make the world a better place is just as important and often more challenging.
I must intentionally focus on showing my students how to successfully use technology in real life.
I will be able to encourage responsible use of technology with books like Dot, Noah's New Phone, If You Give a Mouse an iPhone, and Me, Myselfie, and I. Online Safety can be showcased in Chicken Clicking, The Fabulous Friend Machine, and The Internet Sleuths. The consequences of cyber-bullying, as well as how to prevent it, are portrayed in stories like Shredderman: Secret Identity, Troll Stinks, and Cell Phoney. Making the connection between coding and real life becomes easy when reading about How to Code a Sandcastle or Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding. And as much as we all love the benefits of technology, I would be remiss if I didn't share a few cautionary tales about what could happen if we never 'unplug'. The unpleasant side of technology addiction can be covered in lighthearted kid-friendly stories like Unplugged, Blackout, Trapped in a Video Game, and But It's Just a Game.
These books will be utilized in a variety of ways. I will use the stories to engage students when starting a new topic of study, students will read them independently if they finish a project early, and whole-class read-alouds will be a great no-tech backup plan for weeks when we are without technology due to testing or technical difficulties.
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