SED 445

In a podcast called On Being with Krista Tippett , host of the podcast, Krista Tippett, hosts technologist, principal researcher for Microsoft Research, and founder of Data & Society research institute, Danah Boyd. Together, Tippett and Boyd engage in a conversation surrounding technology and its evolution, and how we utilize it in the 21st century. During the conversation, Tippett poses a question concerning the term "digital natives" in the classroom, in which Boyd responds, "When we use the term 'digital natives,' we assume, then, that adults don’t have anything to teach young people, and that is so not true." Before listening to this podcast, I didn't think twice about the concept of "digital natives" because I believed that it referred to a generation of people who grew up, or are growing up with technology. For example, I considered my younger cousin, who is eleven years younger than myself, to be a digital native because at thre...

In the third chapter about essay writing in Linda Christensen's Teaching For Joy And Justice , Christensen explains that receiving good writing from students takes time, and that there needs to be more of a focus on student progress, rather than the final product (Christensen 132). This can be accomplished if educators teach writing, which is a big difference than simply assigning writing. As teachers, allowing students time in the classroom to work on their writing and providing instruction and feedback during the process will not only help students improve in their skills, but inspire them to write that essay that excites them, one that could maybe even be called, as Christensen's student proclaimed, "fire." In this chapter, Christensen explains the steps of a paper and how helping students in each step will lead to better writing. The step that stuck out to me the most was generating thesis statements, and how a good one will guide an essay. In my middle and h...