Category: ECI832

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Summary of Learning ECI 832

It’s hard to believe that I am doing my final summary of learning for my Masters Degree.  I feel as though I’ve learned a great deal during the course of my years in the Med Program and this class was no exception.  The course included discussions of key topics in Educational Technology such as ethics in a connected world, the role of technology in education, the right to be forgotten, etc.

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However, the ideas that resonated with me the most had to do with the discussion around digital natives vs digital immigrants, media literacy, and the the role of schools in teaching media literacy/digital citizenship to students.  In examination of the former topic, there was meaningful discussion around questions like; are the current generation of students born into a digital world as natives? What will the next generation look like in terms of digital integration?  Can those in older generations become a part of this new world or are they merely visitors?  I found myself wanting to place myself in the shoes of the younger generation.  This allowed me to look at technology in a different way.  As I stated in a previous post, because I grew up overseas, I was really not a part of the generation that grew up with technology at our fingertips.  Therefore, the examination of the these topics was very interesting to me as somewhat of a Canadian immigrant and a digital immigrant.

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The idea of digital identities and digital duality was also a large part of reforming my thinking on digital spaces and our place in them.  The role of the educator in this discussion becomes increasingly important as we examine what it looks like to conduct ourselves as professionals while modelling positive online behaviour for students.  Students are growing up with little distinction between their virtual world and their physical world.  Many would argue that there is none, therefore students need to be exposed to discussions of citizenship from an early age.  Critical thinking through media literacy then becomes the key to unlocking positive digital citizens.

Exposing students to different types of media as a practical way of teaching digital citizenship is a great way to start.  As students and teachers come together to examine issues like bias and ownership of content, positive digital communities will be formed in which true and meaningful learning will happen.

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Students and teachers can then engage in the creative process and tackle deeper issues as well.  This is something that needs to happen in the classroom and must be incorporated throughout the curriculum.  Building these types of communities that focus not on policing and prevention, but on engagement, reflection and critical thinking will foster growth of positive digital citizens that will be proud to continue the work into adulthood.  As classrooms across the world begin to take up these topics and conversations, students will need guides and mentors alongside them as they begin to navigate.  Scenes like the one below will hopefully become increasingly common.

You may be wondering how we as educators can undertake such a monumental task?

The proliferation of social media and new technologies does not necessitate a change in our pedagogical philosophy.  It simply requires that teachers continue to educate students to be good humans.

Below I have attached my final summary of learning.  I have enjoyed this course immensely and look forward to what the future holds.

 

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A Day in the Life of a Media Consumer…

When we were presented with the task of cataloging our daily internet use, I got a little worried about a true reflection of my time spent online on a daily basis.  I wasn’t sure what this might reveal about me but in a way I also was excited to reflect on how I was using my time online.  I am of the opinion that time is a valuable thing and therefore, the time I spend online has to have meaning or it does not have value.  In a world of 3 preschool aged kids, my time online is limited at best.  My day typically starts out with breakfast and the news.  I prefer to use apps like BBC, Reuters , The Economist etc.  These give my a brief view of top stories from around the world.  In other words, one of my main strategies for making sense of media and avoiding fake news is making sure that sources are reputable.

After that I’m off to work where I primarily use media in my classroom for teaching purposes.  Apps like Youtube, Brainpop, mentimeter and Kahoot offer opportunities to review material, stimulate discussion and summarize new learning.  I also use apps like remind to let my students know about upcoming events or announcements.  Lately, I have been using Sworkit with my Wellness 10 class.  The App is one of a suite of three I have chosen to focus on for my final project including Remind, and Instagram.  As I present information to students and have them synthesize information using various forms of media, I try to remind myself of a few key questions and concepts that I highlighted in my resent vlog.

It’s important that we share and model this with students as well because as we have seen in recent years with the rise in misinformation and fake news, it is not always easy to tell the difference.  Students and teachers have a great opportunity to engage in conversation around the use of apps in the classroom, where messages are coming from, and why they are being sent.  It’s so important for students to have a critical eye and ear on the world around them in order to help them make sense of the world.  Using and teaching technology in the classroom does present constant challenges as Lindsay Mattison points out in her blogpost.  Issues such as confidentiality, cyberbullying, ethics and plagiarism, to name few, need to be a part of regular classroom conversations. As Mattison rightly points out, clear and concise expectations are key to any learning environment and the online world is no different.  Looking at how to choose reputable news sources is also an important piece of the media literacy puzzle.

As the day wears on I take every effort to use teachable moments to reinforce key points and information that is necessary to get kids thinking about what they use, share and create online.  However, another big area I am beginning to navigate is the use of online spaces by my own children.  Although they are still quite young, they are already at this age being affected by messages they hear all around them.  Whether it’s the Paw Patrol who’s on a roll or hearing the lyrics to a Selena Gomez echoing from the kids’ bedroom because they heard it in Walmart, media is everywhere.  I have come to realize that my use of, and relation to media is tied inextricably to my own personal values.  Our experiences ultimately determine how we interpret these messages so we must first seek to understand ourselves.  As I watch my kids interact with different forms of media after school, I am struck by the fact that they have much less life experiences and therefore are drawn to types of media that are geared toward their emotions and interests.  They need guidance as they interpret what they consume.

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Safety concerns for younger online users are becoming more and more important and as I consider how to teach my own kids to view and evaluate media content, the risks must also be counted.  As Krista mentioned in her recent blog post, marketing geared towards youth in media is becoming harder to deconstruct.  Schools have begun using social media monitoring software in some cases to intervene before it’s too late.  As stated in a recent CBC news story  ,

“You can’t argue with the importance of keeping our students and staff safe,”

As I sit with my kids and play on the tablet, watch tv, or listen to music, I think about how to start conversations with them about what they are consuming.  I also need to be better about fact checking and deciphering media for myself.  Even as I write this blogpost, I wonder who might be reading it and how they will interpret it.  In summation, Jana said it well in her recent post when she stated

“We must move past traditional methods of teaching and learning – memorizing facts, regurgitating information, and giving answers that we (adults) want to hear – and instead, challenge our students to become independent, critical thinkers.”

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Media literacy skills continue to be vitally important not only for ourselves but also for the next generation.  In a world where truth is relative and everyone can publish their point of view for millions to read, scepticism is more important than ever.

 

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Literacy for the Digital Age

Being literate has always been a sign of progress, I sign of success.  It was seen for many years as a way to bring oneself to a higher level.  To be literate was to be above the illiterate.  To be educated.  To be free.  It opened a world that was closed to so many.  Being able to read meant that you could access services, learn new things, be connected to a wider world and share your thoughts with others in the form of text.  It has historically meant the difference between having jobs, wealth, status or being a second class citizen in many countries.

In more recent years, it could be argued that there is a similar technology divide that exists in society.  Certain skills are quickly becoming necessary to properly function in day to day life.  Having an email address and being able to access it is one example of a skill that is becoming increasingly necessary in today’s world.  So many important pieces of important information are stored an accessed online as well.  Things like banking, mortgages, subscriptions to services, media content etc are all using technology to provide an experience of ease to the consumer. 

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In comparison to traditional literacy which was usually considered reading and writing, the literacies of the 21st century look much different.  Many argue that learning to write in cursive handwriting is no longer a necessary skill, whereas checking email would be considered very necessary.  In terms of what we would consider necessary skills in today’s world, above are 13 literacies broken into broad categories that are touted as being for the digital age.  Interestingly, a category entitled traditional is still included.  It is crucial that these types of conversations continue to occur in order to flesh out those literacies that are needed in society.  Many would also site physical literacy and mathematical literacies as important tools in preparing for the world of tomorrow. In the following video, I outline the importance of Media/Digital Literacy.  I also highlighted the fact that being media literate is about more than just tools.  It is about thinking critically.

The more we can encourage students to think critically about the world around us, the more aware they will be of the varied nuances of digital messages.  In addition, as stated in this Media Smarts article, students must also be able to be smart consumers of products, recognize the role of media in culture, create media responsibly and recognize point of view.  In a changing and intense world, the biggest asset teachers have in media literacy education is parents.  As stated below, it is at home that kids will grapple with ideas and become independent thinkers.

 

 

 

 

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What does Community have to do with Digital Citizenship?

Although much has been said about digital citizenship in education, what does it look like when it is truly introduced in a cross-curricular manner?  Although there is a great framework in place for Saskatchewan teachers as Krista and Kelsie pointed out in their recent video on the subject of digital citizenship, it is at times difficult to implement in a strategic and meaningful way.  In reflecting on the question of the educators’ role in digital citizenship, I realized several things.  First of all, digital citizenship has been largely focused on elementary students.  Due to the fact that high school students are ‘generally’ more mature  and have developed the technical skills to use technology, teachers and parents often  assume that they also know how to be responsible digital citizens online.  Secondly, I realized that in the 10 years that I have been teaching, digital citizenship education has almost exclusively been defined by the idea of digital safety.  The thought being that if we can at least keep kids safe while they are online, then we have done our jobs.  This is a strategy driven by fear and, as witnessed throughout history, the best laid plans driven by fear can have dire consequences.

Digital Citizenship education has to be about more than fear mongering and trying to keep kids from visiting certain websites online.  There several key aspects necessary for true digital citizens to emerge within a school.  To break things down I would like to examine 2 key questions.  Firstly,  What does digital citizenship mean?  Some common responses might be;

1. Being responsible and respectful to others in the community.

2. Caring about your community.

3. Being informed about the needs within your school and community.

4. Doing your best to make your community a better place.

It is clear that the common theme here is community.  The living, moving organisms that make up our physical and digital world.  The key to educating the future generation of digital citizens does not lie in strategies of protection but in community.  This is why schools with higher rates of belonging and connections with regard to school culture have fewer issues with social media and online bullying.  Understanding a school’s culture and climate are key aspects in enacting change in any fashion as pointed by Macneil in his study.    If a school has an existing culture and climate of positivity, community and engagement, good digital citizenship will follow.  It is crucial to understand that the digital world is simply a reflection of ourselves as human beings.  If positive school climate and culture foster community engagement and achievement, positive digital interactions will follow.  

A second important question to consider is this:

Why is digital citizenship important?

1. We need good digital citizens to make our school and community better for everyone.

2. It is our duty and obligation as digital citizens to do our part.

Just as we expect certain things of our administration, our teachers, and our students, we must have high expectations in our online interactions as well.  So often I find that students and many time teachers are unsure of what the expectations are for themselves.  What is considered acceptable to post online?  With whom may I have an interaction online?  How often should I be online?  How should I portray myself in online spaces?  In what forums may I speak out online about issues that matter to me?  These are questions that are not often discussed in schools perhaps.  The reality is that expectations for digital citizenship online need to be clearly defined in any school in order to foster caring and engaged digital citizens.  This is something I hope to address with our core teachers at my school in the near future.

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With the conditions of a positive school culture and digital expectations clearly defined, it becomes much more feasible to engage students in conversations around digital citizenship.  In many ways our Saskatchewan curriculum has many areas of crossover in which digital citizenship themes could be included.  If our province desires to be  a leader in this field, it will be important for schools to establish these expectations for students and staff.  As Quijada aptly pointed out in her TedTalk, themes like deconstructing media messages could be discussed in many different courses including Health Wellness, Psychology, Social Studies, or ELA.  Rob Williams points out that these ideas about media haven’t radically changed over time, we simply have more media content coming at us every day.  In his view, skepticism is the key to driving digital media education.  I believe this is an important piece of being a good digital citizen but it is somewhat simplistic.  As we learned through the discussion with Pat Maze this past week, there are often more grey areas than black and white.

On a more personal level, I need to be better about modelling what being a good community member of our school looks like.  I believe if every teacher commits to promoting a positive school culture and encouraging high expectations of digital citizenship, we will be on a steady path to where we want to be as a province.

Teaching digital citizenship should, in essence, be an offshoot of  what teachers are already doing all day, every day, anyway:  teaching kids to be good humans.

We are all in the business of raising up responsible and engaged citizens.  Keep encouraging students and modelling how to be the best they can be.  That is the role of teachers in digital citizenship education or as I prefer to think of it, Character Education!

 

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Mirror Mirror on the Wall: What’s your Digital Reflection?

How do you define yourself?  Digital identity can be described as the digital representation of a physical entity.  This could be a person, an organization or even a school district for example.  In today’s world of new and emerging technologies, managing one’s identity online has become a crucial and necessary skill to have.  Some have argued that digital duality does not exist in the strict sense and that there is no true demarcation line between a digital self and a real-world self.  Others agree that digital identities are simply a reflection of what we choose to show in the mirror.  In other words, we can choose to reflect our true nature or, for some, the choice exists to portray a totally new persona online.  It has often been described as a footprint, a tattoo or a reflection but no matter the metaphor, it has become apparent that having an online presence is the way the world has moved.  As Dr. Alec Couros describes below, having control over our identity online is not always easy when we consider the apps, websites, and companies that house much of our data.  In essence, how do we allow students to experiment with their digital identities in a responsible way that fosters connection and collaboration?

One of the more profound ways to help students in this manner is through leading by example.  When I think back to when I first started building my digital identity, it probably was nothing more than a Facebook page and maybe a few images on a google search.  Now, however, there is a whole host of apps and websites that own my data.  Although this may not be troubling for some, the fact of the matter is that in examination of the terms of use of many of these apps we find that any data uploaded to these websites ceases to be our own property and can be reused without permission.  For most in today’s society, this makes little difference in their day to day lives.  However, in my opinion, it will become evident in the coming years that prudence with what is posted online will be a valuable skill.  In reading Jaque’s blog post on this topic it became clear that I am not the only one who has become more rigid in deciding what to share online.  It seems as though increasingly there is little to no filtering being done before photos are shared or live streams started.  In France there are even new regulations to discourage parents from sharing photos of their children without discretion.

As I have built my digital identity, I have moved away from the constant uploading of personal data and have started to manage who has access to my personal photos and information.  Certain platforms are used strictly for professional posts such as this blog, Twitter, and Youtube for example.  I have tried to curate a profile and identity that would reflect positively at all times on myself, my family, and my profession.  This is what is at the crux of the argument for more inclusion of digital citizenship lessons in schools.  The importance for the future of our students and our society con not be understated.

In examining digital identity, it is imperative that we understand that it is not simply about safeguarding kids against possible dangers online.  It has to be about more than that.  It’s important that students also realize that managing your digital identity is based in positive interactions online.  As Kristin Hicks states in her post,

“Teaching digital citizenship means embracing the reality that we’re all interconnected through the Internet, and that we therefore need to understand the responsibilities and risks that come with life online”

Many teachers in Saskatchewan are incorporating a classroom Twitter account into their everyday routines with students in order to reiterate the importance of and the knowledge to foster positive interactions online.  As Dani mentioned in her post, education is truly the key to ensuring students have the tools necessary to not only stay safe and protected online but to THRIVE online!  This means creating positive meaningful relationships with others.   Below is a great example of a 7/8 classroom here in Regina which uses Twitter to share learning and connect with other learners across the globe.

In reflecting on my own family, I hope to engage in meaningful and valuable conversations around digital identity with my own kids as they grow up.  I hope to continue using scrutiny when posting any pictures or video of my kids, knowing that this data is no longer my property or theirs.   I hope they grow up with teachers that teach and model appropriate use of technology to create positive connections with others.  As is stated in this article from the Atlantic, youth should have a moral responsibility to control their own digital footprint and sharenting has done much to circumvent this.  I hope my digital identity makes my kids proud and not embarrassed.  Finally, I hope that my kids rise to the challenge of creating and curating positive identities for themselves online.   The internet has the ability to bring out the best in people and also the worst in people and I hope for my kids it brings out the best.  Here are some tips for parents to help promote a positive digital identity with their kids via edmentum .  

  1. Only share personal information when necessary.
  2. Take advantage of Internet privacy settings.
  3. Remind your child to always think before typing.
  4. Manage online accounts and passwords closely

In the above video, kids share with their parents what they are really doing online.  As is stated in the video, this is the world our kids are growing up in.  Let’s be involved and learn together what it means to be a positive contributor to this online world.  Ultimately kids are always watching what we do so it is truly on our shoulders to model what this looks like for future generations.

Question to consider: In what ways do you already model positive digital behaviour for students or children?  Is it effective?

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Gazing into the Future of Education

How do you prepare someone for something you can’t understand? Is it even possible?  The recent discussion in educational technology circles has centered on the fact that we do not know what the world will be like in even 5-10 years.  With the exponential increase in technological advancement, it is doubtful that the students graduating from our high schools or universities in 10 years will have any of the necessary skills to find employment or succeed if we continue to educate them for the 20th century.  It has been argued that instead of teaching a specific set of facts or knowledge, it will be increasingly important to focus on skills.  In his paper,  Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, Henry Jenkins argues that there are new skills that will be of utmost importance for the next generation.  These are what he claims are the building blocks for successful education in for the future.

Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving
Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery
Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes
Appropriation — the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content
Multitasking — the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details.
Distributed Cognition — the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities
Collective Intelligence — the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal
Judgment — the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources
Transmedia Navigation — the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities
Networking — the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information
Negotiation — the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms.

Looking through this list it is perhaps glaringly obvious but, few if any of the outcomes of our current Saskatchewan Curriculum look even remotely like this.  It is interesting to consider the changes that have already occurred in our educational system over the last 50 years.  It’s true that we have seen the emergence of educational technologies that could not have been imagined 50 years ago.  From the internet to handheld devices, educational apps and realtime feedback, there is now a myriad of tools at the disposal of the 21st century educator.  However, there exists in our classrooms a resistance to the change in structure that has existed since the industrial revolution.  Other than a few forward thinkers, we still, for the most part, educate children in desks placed in rows with the teacher at the front of the classroom.  But what could education look like?

Robyn Shulman in her article on digital citizenship, discuses the fact that our students have a vast knowledge of the use and navigation of tools and online spaces but very little idea about how to “leverage technology for best outcomes.”  I tend to agree that the students of today’s generation have enormous potential at their fingertips but perhaps have not been given the tools to promote their digital wellness.  It will be ever more crucial in the coming years to expand our understanding of health and wellness to include digital hygiene as well.  As Alisa Sklar states,

Digital hygiene teaches so much more than just safe, responsible use of digital tools. A parent who sits down together with their child to Google how to configure Instagram privacy settings is also modelling critical thinking, research techniques, discussing context, and involving their child.

Parents and teachers alike must be confident in addressing digital concerns with students and youth if we are to give them a firm hold in a digital future.  Brittany raised a good point about the parallel between the current idea of citizenship in a real world context in comparison with the digital world.  Allowing students to learn and exhibit the same rights and responsibilities in both realms will be key in assuring that these youth become engaged, critical thinkers in online spaces.  Not only as passive consumers but as active participants who defend and advocate for the rights of others.

In addition, it has been suggested that the need for formal educational institutions may one day be no longer.  As Danielle pointed out in her recent post, this idea tends to make educators slightly uncomfortable.  Not only because it could mean the end of our jobs but also because as teachers, we have seen the value of critical thinking and face to face interaction that happens when students/teachers are engaged in the learning process.  On the other hand, as Jocelyn pointed out in her post,  the potential of tools like Google Classroom to help students move beyond a physical set of classroom walls is astounding.  In remote areas this is happening already with school divisions such as SunWest  right here in Saskatchewan.  In many ways the disintegration of physical classrooms spaces is already happening.  As teachers and students look ahead to the further convergence of education and technology, we must be prepared to look at what future students will appreciate in their learning environments.  It’s hard for me to believe that teachers will ever be taken completely out of the equation, however, educational landscapes are changing and will continue to do so.  So, here are some tips for teachers from actual students.

1. Make it about ME 🙇

2. Let’s DO things 👩‍🔬

3. Don’t ditch me in an online course 💻

4. Be my coach 👩‍🏫

5. Teach me relevant skills 🙇‍

6. Foster a growth mindset 📈

 

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Techno Wars: A New Hope

I have always felt somewhat torn by discussions of the role of technology in society.  I think in large part this is due to my upbringing.  I lived in Mali, West Africa from the age of 3 to 16.  A country that was, and still is, one of the poorest in the world.  Many of the villages we lived in had no phone lines at all.  We would write letters, drive 2 hours on dirt donkey trails into the nearest town with a post office.  The letters would take about 2-3 months to reach Canada at which point the response would take 2-3 months to get back to us.  This disconnect meant that we were in many ways cut off from the world due to lack of infrastructure.

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When we returned to Canada in 2001, I had a lot of catching up to do.  I had missed roughly 10 years of my generations’ pop music (maybe that was a good thing), I didn’t get any of the pop culture references, and people that quoted Ace Ventura to me would be met with blank stares.  In the world of technology I was awkward at best.  I was able to type to some degree but as my peers explored MySpace and MSN Messenger it never quite took hold for me.  I often felt I was an alien visiting earth for the first time and I wasn’t sure where to start.  I slowly started making inroads into my lack of knowledge in these areas.  I watched the movies such as Star Wars that had been touted as classics by my friends and began exploring the online world.

When Facebook came on to the scene in 2004, I was drawn to it through nostalgia more than anything.  I discovered that I could reconnect with friends from half-way across the world.  I could view pictures from back in Mali and even carry on conversations with old friends.  From this point on, I truly began to feel much more engaged in Canadian culture because I was able to at once be in step with popular cultural acceptance of Social Media but at the same time keep connection to a part of me that I thought had been left on the other side of the ocean.  I would say this was definitely the beginning of my entrance into the realm of being a digital visitor.  Although Prensky’s notion of Immigrants vs Natives perhaps holds more initial connection to my situation from a geographical standpoint, I find it difficult to reconcile the notion that generational gaps alone account for feelings of technological competency.  For example, there are children between the ages of 5 and 15 growing up in third world countries right now who have limited or no access to the internet or social media.  Nor does it follow necessarily that 1st world teens born after a certain year will automatically possess an understanding of digital spaces as part of nativity.   As David White suggests,

   ‘the cultural effects of the social hyperconnectivity brought about by social media and mobile devices are often masked by shallow assessments of technological functionality and the apparent capability of specific groups in consuming ‘new’ technology.’- Citation

When I first began using Facebook, I felt as though I was and perhaps still am a visitor;  using online tools when necessary and then turning those tools off when they are no longer needed.  Even when it came to cell phones I held back for a relatively long time compared to others in my peer groups.  My first smart phone was the iphone 4 which was released in 2010.  Once again, it became a tool to use when I needed it.  A few years later, I began to research the world of #edtech and realized quickly that this would be the way education might evolve.  I started trying to incorporate technology into my teaching and learned as I made mistakes.  However, I was still a visitor.  My personal relationship with technology with regards to  the technological engagement continuum remains ambiguous.

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I use the tech tools that I find useful in my work and in my personal life and if I look at my phone or laptop and notice apps that I have not used in the last month, they are often deleted.  I am a fan of functionality and I love using technology when it engages students, enhances learning in some way or allows students to deepen their understanding.  However, it disheartens me to see technology enhance preexisting human conditions such as disunity, discord, jealousy, hatred, and disparity.  I wholeheartedly agree that technology, when it is used properly, has enormous potential to create social change, improve life for people on earth, and foster connection.  On the other hand it also has the potential to be used to devastating effect to inflict pain, divide instead of unite, and give voice to hatred.  Technology cannot be saviour nor can it be our doom, it must therefore be approached in a more realistic fashion.  Technology must not be analyzed in a vacuum.  It is born of man, born out of human social constructs.  Since I could not identify myself as a proponent of  techno-utopian ideas nor techno-dystopian ideas, I began exploring middle ground.

In reading Stephen Bernard’s Blog Post on Techno-Realism, I have found myself drawn to the idea that we must not simply blindly adopt Techno-Utopian or Techno-Dystopian theories without truly engaging in critical examination of the ways in which technology and social fabrics are intertwined.  Conversely we must realize that although technology has been the driving force behind human advancement, it does not leave us without options and does not exist separate from human interaction.  There must be a balance, in effect, between positive and negative in the techno-theory debate.  It allows for the ability of technology to affect positive change in the world while accepting that there are certain aspects of technology that have and will continue to affect humankind in a negative way.

“What can technorealism do for sociological inquiry?  Besides offering a healthy dose of reality, it can guide us beyond mere polemics and onto a plane of thought grounded in both logic and evidence”-Stephen Bernard

Here are some of the key principals of technorealism as espoused by technorealism.org

PRINCIPLES OF TECHNOREALISM

1. Technologies are not neutral.
2. The Internet is revolutionary, but not Utopian.
3. Government has an important role to play on the electronic frontier.
4. Information is not knowledge.
5. Wiring the schools will not save them.
6. Information wants to be protected.
7. The public owns the airwaves; the public should benefit from their use.
8. Understanding technology should be an essential component of global citizenship.

This idea seeks to be a neutral territory between positive and negative views of the role of technology although it lacks a certain element: HOPE!  What is human society without hope.  It is what drives to create, share, uplift and uphold one another.  It is hope that led to the great technological advancements of the 20th century and it is hope that inspires people all over the world to wake up and create change for the better.  For these reasons I find myself slowly moving from digital visitor to digital resident and from techno-realism to techno-progressivism.  Yes we must be critical of the ways in which technology is being used, however, if we are constantly looking over our shoulders for possible problems we will potentially miss out on greater opportunities for the good of mankind.  In a recent Globe and Mail Article, Jennifer Anikst explored the idea that millennials are pragmatic idealists.  Supposedly two very opposing theories are taken up simultaneously to allow this generation to solve social problems through the use of technology for social justice.  To me that spells hope for the future.