Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom- Ashley Hinck
Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, etc. were the apps I immediately thought of when I heard the term “digital media” until I read Ashley Hinck’s article “Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom.” Ashley describes these templates and many others as short cuts that fail to facilitate our learning as young students. We aren’t set up to be creators or explorers of our own learning pertaining to the digital world because as students we are only exposed to these types of “drag-and-drop” shortcuts. The programs “Raspberry Pi” and “HTML coding” were completely foreign to me, it’s not that as students we are lazy and choose not to explore these programs but because our previous educators have always had the same style of teaching- multiple choice tests, step-by-step instructions, right or wrong answers- completely limiting our imagination and creativity. I am guilty of sticking to what I am familiar with especially when it comes to technology, which was evident when I chose to not use any of the computer programs, and instead, stuck to paper and coloured pencils to carry out this assignment. I am also guilty of feeling the frustration when I can’t figure out the correct answer or when there isn’t a specific way to figure out the correct answer because it’s a rare occurrence that I find myself in situations where this actually happens.
As future educators we need to encourage students to explore situations that make them uncomfortable. We need to teach the importance of trial and error through unstructured assignments and other ways to test their knowledge. It’s insulting to student’s intelligence to provide them with step-by-step instructions like reading skills is what they’re getting tested on. Digital making is unlike any other subject areas in the aspect of exploring endless possibilities and not always having a certain way to perform tasks. I believe the overall and underlying problem in students limited intellectual abilities stems from how the school’s shape our thinking. After reading this article, I intend to alter my teaching philosophy to create an environment for students that promotes open-endedness, discomfort in less familiar areas, and facilitate learning through exploration and creativity.
