Blog Post 4- Blog Rewrite

Photo via TOPCOAT

Rewrite of Blog Post 1- What are Digital and Communication Technologies and why are they important to me? in response to:

"It is a great blog post Clare, however I just find it being not reflective as it should be. As you simply expanded on the definition digital technologies, namely how it assists in communications and education on a broader level. Furthermore, you explained that digital technologies are the main component of her project and how they are beneficial in everyday life, specifically for students. Despite this, you have managed to reflect on why it is essential to make necessary research and to consider the different possible outcomes of their digital product. All in all, you have reflected on the importance of technology but you could improve it by reflecting through personal experiences and maybe on the tutorial activities." - Mary Naces

*Changes underlined*

Digital technology is defined as "the branch of scientific or engineering knowledge that deals with the creation and practical use of digital or computerized devices, methods, systems" (Dictionary.com, 2016) and includes databases, graphics and multimedia, internet use and email programs and programming and scripting (ICAS, 2016). Communication technologies transfer of information from one device to another. 

Digital and communication technologies are central to my project, and knowing what works and what doesn't and what relates best to the target audience is what I have to research and analyze. 

In Australia the Government supports the appropriate use of technology in Australian schools to "prepare students to learn, train and live in a digital world" (Australian Government, 2016). I explored the website Digital Technologies Hub as tweeted by Katrina McNab (https://twitter.com/mcnab_k) which provided examples of Australian schools who have implemented different forms of technology into their classrooms, which provided me with some ideas for my own project.

In Tutorial 1 we explored how technologies impact us as we read and discussed the text by Prensky “Digital natives, digital immigrants”. In personal experience, Digital and Communication Technologies are something that I reach for at the very start of the day and and am connected to all day and night. I use a laptop at uni, phone and iPad to use social media such as Facebook and contact friends and family, as well as for entertainment through websites such as Netflix and YouTube. I have an identity online that provides me with a platform to communicate with people I know personally, and people who I don’t know on a personal level but am able to communicate with through the borderless nature of the internet.

Digital project: This website/app must be simple enough for digital immigrants to use (eg. older teachers) and advanced enough to engage digital natives. Communication technologies could be a challenge for such an app due to the protection of minors on the internet. We had an idea of connecting the children through messaging on the website, but this would lead to issues if not carefully monitored. Use of technologies that engage children is necessary, and the interactive nature of app/website through the use of games to break up the school work fulfils this. It is important for us to consider the different forms by which we can create the digital product. Some websites that have inspired my vision for the project include Mathletics and QuizHub which are multimodal and engaging to children in our target age range and will be helpful in creating our app.

Reference List: 

Dictionary (2016). In . Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/digital-technology

Government, A. (2016, May 1). Technology in schools. Retrieved September 9, 2016, from https://www.education.gov.au/technology-schools

Digital Technologies Hub Australia, Education Services Australia. Retrieved October 3, 2016, from https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au

Limited, U. G. P. (2016). Digital technologies (ICAS) - educational assessment Australia (EAA). Retrieved September 7, 2016, from https://www.eaa.unsw.edu.au/icas/subjects/digital-technologies

Peer Feedback

Constructive comments that I made on Mary and Yvette's blog posts

Yvette's blog post on Digital Natives

Mary's blog post on Technology's Impact

Blog Post 3- How changes in technology impact the way humans communicate, and the ethical issues that surround these changes

Changes in technology have significantly changed the way humans communicate, especially in the past decades, known as the ‘Information Age’ or ‘Digital Age’ , characterized by an economy based on information computerization and the use of technologies such as commuters and the internet in everyday life (Castells, 1999). Communication has become more accessible through technology and these days, people in the 1^st world can communicate quickly and effectively through means such as smart phones and social media, which have become popular and widely in the past 15 years. (Philips, 2016).

The internet has allowed people to collaborate on an international scale and share ideas and information in an accessible environment. An example of this is blogging, which can be used as a interpersonal communication device to link people with similar interests.

Technology and communication have affected education by expanding the classroom beyond the physical building, and opening it up to the world. Universities students are now able to complete degrees online, and online data bases make the collection of information easily accessible.
In Week 6 tutorial we answered a number of questions posed by our teachers about the content that we post online. Questions such as "What are some things that we should not share online" and "Who are some people who may see your profile" made us rethink our digital choices and the impact they make.
Along with emerging technologies has come many ethical issues what poise a threat to users if not appropriately dealt with.

The Internet allows for the sharing and access of information, which is sometimes not a positive thing. For instance, personal information (eg. The Ashley Madison information leaks) or classified government documents (eg. Wikileaks) can be shared and accessed in a negative way.

The Internet, specifically social media, while being a positive and social tool, can also be negative through bullying and open access to material such as violent videos and pornography. Many think that it is the responsibility of parents to guard children from these threats, but are still easily accessible and hard to escape.

Plagiarism and piracy are also ethical issues that affect users of technology. The internet has allowed individuals to easily access resources for free and illegally. The anonymous nature of the internet allows for people to often get away with it, which is costly to the creators of resources. 

Reference List: 

Castells, M. (1999). The Information Age, Volumes 1-3: Economy, Society and Culture. Cambridge (Mass.); Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Phillips, S. (2016, August 11). A brief history of Facebook. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/25/media.newmedia

Blog Post 2- Why do I need to become a reflective practitioner?

Becoming a reflective practitioner is important to design and development as it encourages improvement and innovation and new ideas and knowledge. It is a process of continuous learning and can be defined as "paying critical attention to the practical values and theories which inform everyday actions, by examining practice reflectively and reflexively. This leads to developmental insight" (Bolton, 2001). 

One should stop practice, think about it, analyze their decision making and drawing a theory and relating it to what they do next in their design process. (CSP. 2016). 
The reflective process of thinking includes: 
Self-awareness- Identifying your reactions 
Critical analysis- Questioning those reaction and thinking about it, posing a question and exploring the connection between your views and the literature
Synthesis- Integrating this knowledge into your learning
Evaluation- Exploring the importance for you as a professional (ACU, 2016)
Some tools for reflective practice include: reflective journals (blogs, diary), self-assessment, portfolios, group dialogue and mentoring (Flinders University, 2005). 
In my own reflective practice during the creation of my digital design project, we have come across many issues that have required analyzation and problem solving in order to make good decisions. For example, when we were unsure whether to record points for the leaderboard using results from the quiz or the fun game, we conducted both 1st and 2nd hand research in order to come to the conclusion that student’s position on the leaderboard should be from the fun games in order to ensure that children who may struggle with the educational quiz will not be embarrassed by their results being shown publicly.  

References:

ACU Echo360. 2016 Retrieved September 8, 2016, from https://access.lectures-online.acu.edu.au/ess/portal/section/COMM140


Bolton, Gillie (2010) [2001]. Reflective practice: writing and professional development (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications. p. xix. ISBN 9781848602113. OCLC 458734364.


Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. 2016 AITSL (2012, May 7). 21st century education Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA1Aqp0sPQo

Flinders University. 2016 Retrieved September 8, 2016, from http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/reflectivepractice/reflect/Tools%20for%20reflective%20practice.pdf.


What is reflective practice and how do I do it? (2016). Retrieved September 8, 2016, from http://www.csp.org.uk/faqs/cpd/what-reflective-practice-how-do-i-do-it