Apps Apps and More Apps!

This book pointed out many things that I believe we are already aware of.  Apps are part of our life.  It was interesting in our class discussion that the idea of digital native vs immigrant.  For those of use that were not born with digital technology, I know I can no longer think of a time without it.  I can remember using a map or talking for hours on a kitchen phone but life in the present is done through many apps that make my life more efficient (most of the time).  There are also apps that distract or can waste time.  Which again takes me back to thinking about our “information diet” and it is no surprise to look back and see the importance of the order that we read our books and the topics that were presented. 

As a parent and a teacher, I could relate to the three I’s _ identities, imagination, and intimacy.  In my group we discussed how apps allow us (not just our students) to try out different types of identities.  There were positives to this but also a concern of the way we can hide behind an online self.  It was an interesting note to myself that the way that apps shape our students so not really that much different from any age group really.  A packaged or polished self can be harmful if fake but also good if we are putting our best self out there for jobs or future educational opportunities.  We are in a trend of not being able to be without our devices and our apps for all the ways they help our life.  What apps we have on our phone is a reflection of who we are and our interests.  That doesn’t have to be negative but it is a warning that we should be mindful of our use of them.  Again and again I think of what can of balance are we experiencing with so much information at our fingertips.

Apps in ways never before experienced keep us connected to anything and everything.  This connectedness is a huge swing of the pendulum.  I want to be in contact with my kids and my spouse but maybe not so much with work responsibilities.  I know I have tried not to be a helicopter parent but the reality is many of my behaviors tend to lean that way for good or bad.  But as my kids are young adults, we are able to have better discussions of when and where they need my help.  The guide on the side approach works too as a parent.

I think in the imagination area the most is where I need to recognize my students and know they want to create and in my area of teaching have suggested many tools for them to share their knowledge.  It is one of the constraints at school that we are limited sometimes in choosing the best apps to explore and create.  Cost is also another constraint where there are limited funds and devices.  This is an emerging frustration of the inequality that my students face.   We are seeing that our students are not prepared as they enter middle school with less exposure to some apps that they are expected to already know how to use.  We are now looking into how to bridge that gap.  But I am sure we are not the only school that this could be a concern.   Even though I am in elementary school I still get pretty surprised in some of the apps the students are using that are meant for an older crowd – which again is another reminder that our students are completely immersed in apps.  This awareness is something we need to continue to address as we discuss digital citizenship and staying safe in the digital universe.

Pay attention TO Attention - becoming Net Smart

Rheingold addresses a broad audience as he explains his value of learning the skills necessary to join a community of digital media literates and shape our own lives through these skills; one such skill is to think critically about the information around us and how we interact with that information (14). Here, he establishes the complexities and challenges within the internet and introduces us to a recurring concept: attention. He first describes this process as reflection, then “after embarking on [the] occasional self-examination, it’s time to turn the tool of attention control...to the task of finding the information you need at the moment you need it, learning what you need to learn and forgetting what you don’t need, and most important, learning how to filter out the bad info” (15). In this explanation he shows how other literacies, such as critical reading and participation, will build upon attention.

I would like to share some of the standouts for me in each of the literacies he described:

Attention:

·       We all have media distractions but with training we can have been attention. 

·       Breathing is good!  Paying attention to our bodies, our mind and our breathing – also get up and move regularly.

·       There is no real multitasking just task switching.  I find that I can have many tasks going, but when I think about it, I really have to focus on one with my full attention to get it done then move onto the next thing. If I only do a little of one thing then move on it may not be my best work because I need to give the task my whole attention.  I think that is why I like lists – that really helps me focus on one thing at a time, get it done and have the wonderful pleasure of crossing it off!

·       It is ok to have social media goals- not only is it ok but it serves a purpose for attention with intention.

Crap Detection:

The answer to almost any question is available, if you know how to search.  This is part of my job description!   It is learning how to search, knowing what words to use and filtering.  It is a lifelong learning process.  Rheingold lists a great strategy to verify information called triangulation – where you find three sources before deciding to pass it on.  I could go on and on about people posting all sorts of crazy promotions or rumors on Facebook.  I know they are not even checking just posting that Costco or Disney is giving away free stuff – um no, they are big business and unless you are in a Costco getting free samples there is no free. 

Participation:

We all have the power to participate so easily with our devices.  We can use this power as a force to do good or evil.  We have the opportunity to model online participation to our students in shared activities or examples of online communities.  I really relate to this in the book when he says “Awareness of your digital footprints and impacts of our digital profiles ought to precede your conscious participation online.  Think before you post, because your digital actions are findable, reproducible, an available to people you don’t know, and will remain available to all indefinitely.” (p249).  This is so important to all of us and we have a chance to discuss it now from a very early age as students can begin creating and posting once they begin school.  This again is something that has to be addressed so early now and repeated over and over again.

Collaboration:

It is so interesting that we stress so much in school to “do your own work” yet I find myself seeing over and over again how important it is to work together and give students opportunities to practice this skill.  It is hard and somewhat a developmental stage for students to cooperate, coordinate and collaborate.  It is rare in the “real” world that we are doing something truly alone but working with many minds to come up with a group solution to a problem.  An example of this is the “team lead” meeting is not called the “guiding coalition” meeting.  Most issues or problems at our school are almost always addressed as a group.  We need to see that more in our activities in our lesson plans.

Network:

This reminds me of the saying “it’s who you know”.  This just makes it a wider circle with online networks and again learning how to position yourself as a contributor.

I believe it is true we do not have in place enough lessons or support to help our students have enough instruction in these areas.  These digital literacies are becoming just as important as learning to read or the multiplication tables.  Our lives online are happening right now and our students need to be taught and re-taught how to be “net smart”. 

Rheingold, H. (2014). Net smart: How to thrive online. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Extended Thoughts on Information balance

I really enjoy reading the comments of thought on our blog posts.  However, due to finding time to work on all that is required of us at the moment I have not taken the time to reply to very many of the posts.  This is somewhat different from our discussion boards where we are replying in a thread to a much shorter entry.  Just my observation as I am comparing the two different ways we have been commenting and thinking about what others have said in our groups. 

After attending the library state conference with past weekend there was information galore!  I had mentioned choice before, and it is very clear when so many choices are placed before me at these conference that I must really choose what type of information I need or would like to learn more about.  There were so many great sessions it was really hard to choose.  I believe that is the reality we face every day in choosing what information we are going to seek after.  We cannot consume it all at one time.  We must make choices and some information is better for us than others.  (ok just took a 10 min pause to check social media!)

I’m back….. ahhhh to find balance.  One of the comments I had made me with about my own use as data.  Like being able to monitor everything we eat.  Have you ever been on a diet were you were to right everything down or check on its points.  While it is a bit exhausting it really does make one aware.  I wonder in the modeling for our students that we could all participate in monitoring where we are going for information.  I will start reading my book and more times than I can say. – I fall asleep.  But if I am listening to a podcast or watching a video I am a bit more engaged.  Well, I think I would stay away more if the book I was reading was my own choice.  While I find our assigned reading very interesting, I cannot stay away!!  (true confessions here)

While we are integrating more and more technology use into our lessons I feel that I am more mindful to be aware of what I am asking our students to be doing especially at home if they have no model or only the model that is on their phone all the time.  The tools we use are wonderful for accessing all the information we could ever want or need but we also need to be aware of how much time we are spending on either pleasure information or school information.  To distinguish a difference and to monitor and balance so that we maintain a healthy balance on what we put into our brains.