Chapter 1

Focus Question: Discuss how computers, the internet, social media, and other new technologies are effecting students everyday experiences in and out of school.

        Technology plays an enormous role in the lives of children and adolescents. Since today's students were born they have had technology in many aspects of their lives; television, video games, smartphones, computers, and more. Infants now watch television, children under 5 are using electronic learning devices, and by second grade 70% are playing video games and use internet daily.

        Today’s 8- to 18-year-olds are members of an iGeneration of youngsters who have grown up using computers, the Internet, and other digital media as constant features of their daily lives. They've never known a life without cell phones and social media sites mean more to them then they should. These students are spending 7 or more hours a day using entertainment media,  virtually spending almost every moment they aren't in school with technology.

      By high school 97% of students use the internet. There is no difference between gender use but vary dramatically by race and family income. White students with higher income families use technology more than those in low income household and Hispanics and African Americans.

       How are these Students using the technology? The internet can be very beneficial to helping with school work. Gone are the days when you have to spend hours and hours searching through textbooks in a library to find answers, google can find it in seconds. The internet can greatly help students with research, studying, and homework questions. It cuts down on time and gives them more information than they would ever have time to find in books.
       Social media has its benefits and flaws. It helps students keep in contact with one another and easily message each other questions about school but it can also be a distraction due to the frivolous posts and videos found on sites like twitter and Facebook.
     
        Overall technology helps students with school work, it gives them access to great amounts of information and resources. But outside of school it can become a distraction and hurtful if only used for entertainment.







       Smartphones are mobile telephones that perform a range of information communication functions, including Internet access, voice communication, text messaging, and video viewing. Smartphones are very beneficial to education. Do you have a quick question about an assignment or subject? Google it and get instantaneous answers. Want to know how something works or an experiment? Find a video. The possibility s and answers are endless and can now fit in the palm of your hand. I had a teacher last semester and if he didnt know the answer to a students question he asked someone to Google it on their phone and then within a minute the question was answered. I found this as a great adaptation of the teacher, he understood that he may not have the answer to everything but that the internet might. Smart phones are also beneficial to communication, by email, texting or more.



Summary: Technology is transforming how students and teachers live, interact, and understand the world. Students from 8 to 8 years of age use technology in some form almost every hour they are not in school. Teachers can use technology in many ways to help students learn inside and outside of the classroom. The 21st century is a digital era and students live and work though technology. All technology using teachers must create a digital identity, which encompasses what they know and are able to do with technology. As a future educator, this course with help me create my own digital identity and expand my knowledge of technology to help me with my future career.
    I am not the most tech savy person by far, but this chapter opened my mind and I now understand that I will need to learn all there is to know to benefit my future students.