Feb. 7th Post: Emergent Digital Literacy

I found out that I am neither a digital native or immigrant. I think that I am a little of both. I got four of the questions right on the digital quiz but I am an emergent learner when it comes to digital literacy. There is always so many new things going in technology coming out that you can't possibly keep up with all of them. I try to stay current on the things are popular now, like blogs, instant messaging, etc. In the Tompkins book when he talks about emergent literacy he says how “children as young as 1 or 2 who listen to stories being read aloud, notice labels and signs in their environment, and experiment with pencils” (Tompkins 84). I see a similarity in this on how children learn about technology today. Now there is technology readily available for young children all around them. Even many toys now today include technology.

I feel like this can be a good thing but it could also be a bad thing that very young children are exposed to technology. I think, especially for young children, that technology has a limit and children need to be practicing being children as well. This includes going outside and running around, instead of sitting in front of a screen all day. I feel that some parents abuse technology and use it as babysitters instead of a tool to help their children develop and learn. In my classroom I will strive to have a balance of this technology, and show my students how technology can be used to enhance their learning, but not just to occupy them with a pointless video.