The article Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom by Ashley Hinck was not only a good representation of our modern day classroom in terms of technology or lack there of, but also represented how technology affected us in our everyday life. I particularly enjoyed the idea of the “drag and drop” model. I believe that many students, myself included, use this idea in many aspects of our lives. We tend to take shortcuts in our lives whether it be online shopping or online classes.
In today’s world we simply skip steps but still manage to get to the finish line. Since we are used to convenience and getting everything instantly, this can translate over to our academics. Unfortunately, this is hindering the creativity of many students. This is particularly alarming in today’s world because technology is advancing rapidly and technology is a skill that is required in almost every job now. This drag and drop mentality ensures that students do not use their creativity and instead look for the easy way out.
As I was reading this article, I found myself relating to many things the author was saying. Even though I grew up in the technology generation, I fear technology to a certain extent. I am very nervous of walking into a classroom where the students are more tech savvy than me. I am also nervous about using technology and failing. The author mentioned that learning how to use technology is not a linear process. This is an extremely powerful sentence because we have been engrained to believe that everything we learn in school is linear and that there is a right and wrong answer. This however is not the case for technology. These drag and drop templates fool us into believing that we are being creative when in reality, they are limiting our creativity. I decided to make a canva and use a grid as a background because it reminded me of the rigid, standardized way we are thought to think in school. I also added some quotes to emphasize how we are receiving conflicting advice from our teachers when it comes to technology. I purposely made this look like a drag and drop piece of work to emphasize how these platforms almost encourage our students not to use their creativity. I even left the words “item 1, 2, 3,4,5” on my chart to showcase how little imagination we have to use nowadays and how oftentimes we, students and teachers alike, struggle to make the connection between school and technology.
http://hybridpedagogy.org/digital-ghosts-modern-classroom/
