The current generation of young people can access technological tools that are beyond the wildest imagination of their ancestors. The internet is one of the major technological tools that have revolutionized the modern world. People may use the internet for a variety of reasons. Adults use the internet as a means of accessing the World Wide Web.
On the other hand, children use the internet for email, chat, and games. Therefore, it is vital for educators to develop strategies that help children to learn using modern technologies. Teachers should ensure that they incorporate the normal technological use of the children in developing educational programs. There are three learning spheres that educators may use in relation to how children use the internet.
The spheres of learning include “peer culture, interests, and academic content” (Ito et al. 63). Therefore, it is vital for educators to use the above spheres of learning in the application of technology in education. Application of the above spheres in learning would make learning be an enjoyable experience.
Therefore, it would reduce resistance to learning. However, the spheres of learning are in constant conflict with each other in the lives of the young people. It is only through effective application of the spheres in learning that educators may achieve their desired objectives.
Several factors may facilitate the use of technology in education. One of the major factors is the fact that young people are members of various online communities that employ various technological tools. Some of the online communities include Facebook, MySpace, and game clans. These online communities provide an opportunity that educators may use to integrate the learning experience in the daily lives of young people.
Young people also use technological tools to express themselves. Young people are active contributors in the online community. Educators may create various initiatives that encourage young people to take part in creative activities that help in self-expression. Active participation in the online community enables young people to engage in collaborative problem solving activities.
Wikipedia is one of the major sites that enable people to engage in collaborative problem solving activities. Collaborative problem solving leads to the development of new knowledge. Educators can use various technological platforms that encourage collaborative problem solving activities that help in learning. Most young people share information with other young people using the internet.
Sharing information leads to the formation of relationships between young people in the virtual world. The relationships may help in the academic advancement of young people. It is vital for educators to ensure that formulate strategies that encourage young people to form relationships with other people who would help them in their academic advancement.
Play is one of the most important activities that enable children to learn. Games enable children to interact with their environment actively. Active participation makes games be an effective means of learning. Teaching using normal teaching methods makes children feel locked out of the world. This is because conventional teaching methods are not personalized and may appear abstract to the children.
Therefore, modern teaching methods should use various technological playing tools to help in learning. Games would motivate the young people to learn. Games may also act as a means of exploring and processing knowledge. Therefore, games may help in inculcating valuable problem solving skills that would be greatly beneficial to the children during their adulthood (Jenkins 23).
Educators may use games to help children learn about issues on diverse topics. Children may use technology to assume different fictive identities. Assuming different fictive identities enables young people to simulate various activities. This may help in creating a better understanding of why and how certain activities occur in the real world.
Determination of why certain activities occur may foster the formation of good decision-making skills. In addition, assuming fictive identities may help the children in character building.
“Intelligence is distributed across the brain, body, and world” (Jenkins 37). Intelligence traverses a wide sociocultural and technological environment. Therefore, it is pertinent to claim that people ‘accomplish’ intelligence instead of ‘possessing’ it. It is impossible to acquire intelligence if various artifacts that would facilitate reasoning are not present.
Various technological tools facilitate reasoning. The technological tools may externalize memory or processes. Therefore, it is vital for students to learn how to think with and through their technological tools. This is because the brain is not the only ‘real’ part that undertakes the thinking process. Using technological devises enables students to form abilities that facilitate meaningful interaction with various tools that expand their mental capabilities.
Educators may develop games that help children navigate an extensive technological environment, which would enable them to appreciate the importance of various technological tools.
In addition, using technological tools enables learners to become part of a social and technological system that generates and deploys information at a fast rate. Use of technology enables learners to shift their focus to strategic decision making. This helps learners to solve complex problems within a short time.
The school is critical in developing skills that facilitate learning. Educators should use various strategies to incorporate technology in the existing curriculum of schools. It is vital for educators to develop after-school programs that enable learners to improve their relationship with existing technological tools. In the informal setting, students may use trial and error to refine their skills.
In addition, students may have more time to experiment with the technological tools in the informal settings. Parents should also play a critical role in students’ ability to build relationships with existing technology. Parents should help in shaping the earliest relationship of children with existing technology and reinforcing the emerging skills and competencies of the children.
However, it is vital for parents to have information on various technological devices. This would help them during the reinforcement of the emerging skills and competencies of their children. In addition, technological knowledge helps parents in their traditional gatekeeping functions.
The process of applying technology in education may face several problems. There are great inequalities in participation and access to the new media technologies. Therefore, it is vital for educators to ensure that they address this problem. This would ensure that using technology does not limit the learning capabilities of certain students.
In addition, children may have more knowledge on the new media technologies than their educators and parents. This may reduce the effectiveness of the strategies that educators use to teach children.
Teachers and parents should ensure that they engage in dialogues with children to ensure that articulate their experiences with the new media technologies effectively. This would help in providing insights on how teachers and parents may use the new media technologies to improve the learning experience.
Works Cited
Ito, Mizuko, et al. Connected learning, Irvine, CA: Digital Media and Learning Research Hub. 2013. Print.
Jenkins, Henry. Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century, Chicago, IL: The MacArthur Foundation. N.d. Print.