An Introduction
The world is developing at an unprecedented rate. Technology has become one of the basic necessities in everyday life. Some even compare the lack of basic technological knowledge to being illiterate.
I am taking a course this year that is extremely crucial for all teachers and mentors - to learn, to connect, to adapt to a changing world.
My main apprehension about the topic of discussion is the fear that most of the topics learned in this course will not necessarily be relevant in the coming years. Facebook is already dying out in the younger generation. Most students prefer Instagram over any other form of social media. New media platforms open up on a yearly basis. People blog less and vlog more. Worldwide, students' attention spans decrease due to a large amount of stimuli coming from their technological devices.
Understanding the importance of using technology in the classroom also comes with understanding its disadvantages.
Many studies have shown that technology has had a detrimental effect on human communication and intimacy.
I believe that communication is one of the main purposes of language, and therefore it is incumbent on future teachers to approach new ideas with openness and scrutiny.
It seems like an oxymoron, but it's not.
It is a matter of finding the "golden mean", the middle ground.
We must enable our students to explore and create and develop through the use of technology, but also to enable them to thrive without it.
Now to introduce myself -
My name is Michali Mazor, I am currently studying in Herzog to become an English teacher, and I recently lost my father.
Perhaps you're wondering why that little factoid is relevant to an English course about technology. Or even why I am sharing a blog post less than two weeks after his passing. Most will say it's because I'm an overachiever, or even call me crazy.
That may be true. But, I felt this blog was an opportunity to share a bit about my father.
One of the things my father and I share is a love of creative expression. My father loved to write. He was quite good at expressing himself on paper and on his Facebook page.
I, of course, found his posts extremely embarrassing at the time. Most children are embarrassed by their parents' actions regardless of if they are truly embarrassing or not. But going through his Facebook page this past week, I found a quote of his that resonated with me as a future teacher.
This course is meant to give us future teachers the tools to influence our students and help them become the best versions of themselves. I hope that I will be able to touch others' lives as my father did.
I am taking a course this year that is extremely crucial for all teachers and mentors - to learn, to connect, to adapt to a changing world.
My main apprehension about the topic of discussion is the fear that most of the topics learned in this course will not necessarily be relevant in the coming years. Facebook is already dying out in the younger generation. Most students prefer Instagram over any other form of social media. New media platforms open up on a yearly basis. People blog less and vlog more. Worldwide, students' attention spans decrease due to a large amount of stimuli coming from their technological devices.
Many studies have shown that technology has had a detrimental effect on human communication and intimacy.
I believe that communication is one of the main purposes of language, and therefore it is incumbent on future teachers to approach new ideas with openness and scrutiny.
It seems like an oxymoron, but it's not.
It is a matter of finding the "golden mean", the middle ground.
We must enable our students to explore and create and develop through the use of technology, but also to enable them to thrive without it.
Now to introduce myself -
My name is Michali Mazor, I am currently studying in Herzog to become an English teacher, and I recently lost my father.
Perhaps you're wondering why that little factoid is relevant to an English course about technology. Or even why I am sharing a blog post less than two weeks after his passing. Most will say it's because I'm an overachiever, or even call me crazy.
That may be true. But, I felt this blog was an opportunity to share a bit about my father.
One of the things my father and I share is a love of creative expression. My father loved to write. He was quite good at expressing himself on paper and on his Facebook page.
I, of course, found his posts extremely embarrassing at the time. Most children are embarrassed by their parents' actions regardless of if they are truly embarrassing or not. But going through his Facebook page this past week, I found a quote of his that resonated with me as a future teacher.
"I'm merely a traveler going through life hoping to touch others in positive ways." - Pat Mazor (1952-2019)
what a wonderful post. I hope we will be hearing more of and about your father in future posts as well.
ReplyDeleteThe points you raise in this blog are very important and some of them will definitely be discussed in this course.
Concerning your fear that some tools might be outdated, I have tried to keep it as up to date as possible but this is exactly the reason why you are all writing blogs; to share other innovative ideas and cool things you find while reading the global technology blogs. This way you will all learn from each other and learn about the latest hottest trends.
I admire you ❤️
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