Journal Post #2

Hi again! 

Using Microsoft Word in K-12 was definitely a little different than it is in college. I don't really remember using it much until I got to high school, and even then it was pretty limited to just short papers. Using Word in high school was just write your name, date, subject line, and then your essay, with no formatting guidelines. In college, of course, it's more involved, with font limitations, font size requirements, strict citation formatting... In high school, I preferred to use Word because my homework was centralized on one computer or I carried it around on a flash drive, but now I work on several different desktops (two at home, and I moved around eight different ones at work), so I prefer to use Google Docs now, that way I can work on homework wherever I go.

The most important standard for me is the ISTE Standards for Education Leaders 3.1: Equity and Citizenship Advocate. The core standards for this section are to ensure that the student has access to technology and skilled teachers, online resources and digital tools that promote social change, and create a safe, ethical online community for the students. 

Good leadership comes from the top down; if your educational leader, perhaps a principal or dean, shows good leadership skills, then the teachers will follow suit.

I believe equity and inclusion are vital in any scenario, but especially in education because the best students feel safe with their teachers. Providing a safe space for the student, both in the classroom and in an online community, will help the student succeed. Providing the student with access to a skilled teacher and technology will give that student further tools to succeed.

I agree to an extent that this generation could be considered digital natives. Like the counterpoint states, there are some born in this generation that aren't as adept with technology as others. A digital native is someone who is born in a generation surrounded by technology and will likely grow up to be skilled with that technology and new tech to come. 

There's definitely some disconnect between how Millennial or Gen Z students use technology versus how the Baby Boomers or Gen X generations use it. Millennials and Gen Z often have to teach Baby Boomers or Gen X some technology or, in my experience, have shown them shortcuts in the tech that they are familiar with. I remember when the Elmo projector was first introduced in classrooms and my Gen X teacher just could not figure it out, so we, in the fifth grade, had to show her how to zoom using the dial on the side of the projector. 

I think that younger Gen Z students and now the Gen A students that are old enough to be in grade schools are probably finding themselves frustrated with their teachers when it comes to technology; using cell phones and computers is second nature to them, where Gen X didn't have them as household items until some of them were in their teens or into their own adulthood. 

I don't think that trend will change, though. I imagine that we, as future educators, will still be a bit behind on some technology compared to the new generation of students.