Week 7 Blog

We started out this week going over previous assignments and projects from last week. Dr.Parker made it very clear that small grammatical errors made in formal writing can make huge impacts on first impression and be the difference between landing a job versus not landing a job. If we submit for example, a philosophy paper to someone we would like to hire us that is filled with juvenile grammatical errors, we will come across as not serious or just unprepared for an adult job. Proof reading my work and double checking my work is absolutely an essential step in my future in this profession!

The next thing we touched in is the importance of having a reflection after we complete an assignment. If we don't reflect on what we have experienced or talked about, we aren't making personal connections. These connections are what make the learning stick with us! It is what makes class more relevant to us and shows us that everything that we take from his class is going ot be something we need to apply to our future classrooms. After all, this class is called "Teaching in the 21st Century." This generation is evolving faster than we can process and we need to reflect together and individually so that when we start our separate ways in the next few years, we are ready to use the "teaching moments" from our professors everything we learned in real life. Just going through the motions on assignments and not personally reflecting on them and trying to grow from them turns them into straight busy work.

Following this conversation, the topic of digital literacy was heavily discoursed. Teaching today looks completely different than it did 20 years ago. Technology is advancing so rapidly and becoming very integrated into everyday learning. "Literacy" has many different meanings regarding varying grade levels and types of communication. Digital literacy is becoming more and more important as we move closer and closer to a completely Digital Age. Aspiring teachers must adapt to this and be prepared. This will be easier and easier because (for my generation) I have grown up for most of my life with a lot of technology. I got my first iPod in 6th grade and iPhone in 9th grade. Of course that is nothing compared to 1st graders today who own iPads but respectively, I am more familiar with their generation. I must be prepared to incorporate relevant technology in my classroom as it becomes necessary.

Connections to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, or NCSCOS can be made through the topic of literacy. The State of North Carolina has a plan for literacy that can be found on the website. It says literacy education must be clearly articulated among and understood by all stakeholders and personnel. It says that each LEA must be data driven, research based, and have assessments embedded in instruction. This goes for all grades K-12.



What is digital literacy?
According to Cornell University, digital literacy is "the ability to find, evaluate, utilize, share, and create content using information technologies and the Internet."


 This website features 10 Digital Literacy Resources for Teachers.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/ten-digital-literacy-resources-teachers.shtml