Jan.22: Reflection on Nafiza

Nafiza is like many other teenagers today. She uses her cell phone as an alarm clock, she always has her iPod in her pocket, and she is really into cyber learning.

The video explains how she is working on a Virtual Video Project, which helps youth become digitally literate, which can help them be more civilly engaged in their society, according to their teacher. I think it is important for youth to participate in such cyber learning because whether, as their parents or teachers, we like it or not, the future has not only arrived, but will continue to progress. Students need to be prepared for their future while they are in school. Hey, why not?!

I also think it is great that the group is using their tech saviness to address current events, to share their opinions, and even to make the world a better place by bringing awareness to global social conditions (ex. in the video they mentioned Darfur and Tibet, both hot topics).

I would like to implement the technology with which students are already familiar, and introduce them to new systems in the classroom that can prepare them for their future. If a student goes into business or medicine, those seem like two fields that could really benefit from an education in technology, I think it would be great to incorporate tech with current events (I will be teaching history, so that will be relevant). Students, teenagers in particular, want to be part of the solution, not the problem. I would love to see my students engage in sharing opinions on the world as a whole, whether it be in research, presentation, state/national competitions (are there any?), they can use technology in a myriad of ways to accomplish their goals.