Module #5: Research Statistics

 Understanding and accepting that technology will forever be a part of the classroom is the first step in becoming a tech savvy educator. It is so important for educators to be willing and able to adapt to the ever changing trends in education. Today, I'll be evaluating various research data on the impact that technology has on young people. 

McCrindle Gen Z Statistics: 

The data that stood out to me most from McCrindle was their article on the Age of Self-Learning. I believe a major struggle for many educators, especially longer tenured educators, has been around the use of technology in the classroom, and the role that social media plays in the lives of our students. As someone who has been using social media for the majority of my life, I agree with McCrindle's sentiment that social media outlets, such as TikTok, are not only an avenue for entertainment, but they are also an outlet for learning. Outside of school, I find myself spending a lot of my free time scrolling through YouTube videos for the purpose of entertainment, and sometimes for learning purposes as well. I fully support this research and believe that educators must adapt to the so-called "technology and social-media addiction" by finding ways to use these potentially educational outlets for good and not evil. 

Project Tomorrow's Speak Up Report:

One piece of data that stood out to me from Project Tomorrow's Speak Up Report was that, in 2018 39% of educators reported that their students did not have access to any digital learning devices to use in the classroom, and that number has since dropped to 9%. The interesting part of this data to me is not that the percentage has decreased from 39% to 9% over the course of 5 years, but that 9% of educators are still reporting that their students do not have access to any digital learning devices today. This information is concerning to me as we are doing a disservice to the students who do not have equal access to the technological tools that the vast majority of students have access to. My school is a 1:1 Chromebook school. Each student having their own Chromebook has been extremely helpful and convenient in the classroom.

Common Sense Media

This article from Common Sense Media contains a lot of very interesting research and data revolving around teenagers and their relationship with technology. One of the most intriguing charts and pieces of data from the research is the section that discusses the percentage of teens that say it would be hard to give up social media. The chart below displays the data from the research, which states that 54% of teens say it would be hard to give up social media if they had to. I imagine that this number would be significantly higher if the survey was answered with 100% honesty. This is not surprising to me, however it is very alarming as social media and technology are engulfing the lives of young people all around the world. This can be very detrimental to the mental health of young people, and educators all around the world need to learn how to find positive ways to use technology and social media for learning, rather than purely entertainment. 
Source: PEW Research Center


Comments

  1. WLopezSeptember 28, 2023 at 11:33 PM

    Hi Justin,
    Your call for educators to adapt to the digital landscape and harness the educational potential of technology and social media is spot on. It's crucial for educators to recognize these platforms as tools that can be leveraged to enhance the learning experience rather than as distractions or hindrances. By embracing technology thoughtfully and integrating it into educational strategies, teachers can meet students where they are and provide them with the skills they need to navigate the digital world effectively.

    ReplyDelete
  2. NMZumpanoSeptember 29, 2023 at 7:32 AM

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Justin. I'm a bit curious about why you looked at statistics from 2018 from Project Tomorrow. There's a lot that has changed with technology usage since that time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mayci EdwardsSeptember 30, 2023 at 11:02 AM

    Hi Justin! I enjoyed reading your stats from the Project Tomorrow's Speak Up report. I feel as must schools now in 2023 are 1:1. I think that number would be much lower now if they were to update the report! Also, the Common Sense Media report is even relatable to myself. I think it would be difficult to give up social media after having it for so many years. I have had the same accounts for 10 years now. That's one way I communicate and stay in contact with friends and family. Great post!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Module #1 Blog

Image
ABOUT ME Hey there! My name is Justin Haretoun and I am a 28 year old high school social studies teacher in the Northwest side of Chicago. I am a first-generation Assyrian-American, with parents from Baghdad, Iraq. My identity as an Assyrian-American has played a huge role in my life and has played a big part in molding me as an individual and an educator. I am currently in my fifth year of teaching, having spent my first two years teaching 7th grade social studies, and my last three years teaching both US and World History at the high school level. During my time teaching middle school, I regularly questioned my career choices and wondered whether or not teaching was for me. I struggled in almost all aspects of the job, and truly despised going in to work every day. After making the shift to teach high school, I have discovered a new-found love for teaching. Nothing about this career feels like "work", and I finally feel like I can truly be myself in my own classroom. I curr...
Read more

Reflection 1 (PLN)

 Since returning to in-person learning post-pandemic, there has been an increase in unexcused student absences, tardiness, and truancy all across the nation. We have noticed this trend at my school in full effect. As a result, student grades have been suffering, and behavior issues have been on the rise. This issue has led to a school-wide brainstorming session to try and solve the problem that is student truancy. One of the strategies I have decided to use to try and solve this issue is developing daily digital bell ringer activities that can only be completed for full credit in person. The steps that I have taken thus far have been to digitize my bell ringer activities via Google Forms or Pear Deck. I have turned all Google Slides lectures into Pear Deck lectures in order to ensure that students are only able to access the bell work with the code provided in class. Doing this has allowed me to better keep track of who is present to class for bell work and who is not. In addition,...
Read more

Module #3: Mapping my Digital Space

Image
Visitors and Residents...?  Up until recently, I never really gave my technology usage a second thought. I have never mapped out the apps that I frequent most on a daily basis, nor have I really considered whether or not I have been using too much Peardeck in my classroom. I also truly never considered the role that I played in my technology usage. After reading through David White's blog post regarding his idea of "Visitors and Residents", my entire thought process revolving around technology usage and consumption has changed. I equate the concept of "Visitors and Residents" to how active or passive you are with your technology usage. For example, many people play a very active role on social media apps, such as Twitter/X, regularly tweeting and replying to other people. These people would be considered "Residents" of Twitter/X. However, there are some people, like myself, who have held a Twitter/X account for over a decade, yet have never published ...
Read more