Week 2 Blog Post: Technology, Boolean Terms, & 21st Century Citizens

Hi class and welcome to my blog,

    This week's readings and class lectures were very intriguing. We discussed the definition of technology, introduced Boolean terms, and talked in depth about 21st century citizens. I'd like to discuss further about technology and Boolean terms. In class, I defined technology as the use of a computer, tablet, phone, or anything with internet access that allows you to teach lessons, collaborate with peers, and complete daily activities. After our class discussion, I realized that technology can be much more than just an "item" with internet access. For example, technology can include transportation, energy, electrical, the way people communicate, and much more. I enjoyed our open discussions about technology and working with elementary students. I'd like to add my opinion here. Technology can be a great resource for younger students to learn. In opinion, technology can impact a student's learning in multiple ways, but it can also hinder a student's learning. Students should be introduced to technology, but technology should not be the only way a student learns. For example, I have noticed that cousins of mine who are constantly on a tablet do not develop like cousins that may have tablet time, hands on activities, and outside time with peers. I feel like the use of tablets provide parents with a sense of "it'll keep them busy for a while." I totally support tablet time with learning activities other than just Netflix or YouTube videos. For example, writing, shapes, colors, addition, subtraction, etc. 

    Boolean web searching was also something new I learned this week. Boolean terms are defined as simple words (AND, OR, NOT, or AND NOT) used as conjunctions that help narrow a web search. This week I wanted to search about Disney cruise ships and fun attractions on the ship. I searched on this topic because I have always wanted to go on a Disney cruise. I started the search with "Disney cruise ships" and attractions. This search popped up over a million different searches. I then added quotation marks around attractions and added the word fun with the search reading: "Disney cruise ships" and "fun attractions." This narrowed my search down to 17,900 results. Before learning about Boolean terms, I never understood how to narrow my search from millions of results to a couple thousand results. I appreciate Dr. G teaching us this method because I can now search more effectively and efficiently. 

    In conclusion, this week was very informative. I was given a lot of information that I can use in my future career. It is important to know that technology is not just centered on devices with internet access. As future educators, we must understand how technology can affect a student's learning. Lastly, Boolean terms are a great resource to use when searching the web. Using Boolean terms in the future, will allow us to find results much more effectively and efficiently.