DRIVING QUESTION 2

Risks to self and others in the digital environment. How has digital technology impacted us as teachers and our work environment?

Digital technology has become a prominent feature within education, asserting its influential powers in the scheme of communication between educators, accessibility to resources and supporting student learning. Throughout the duration of my university studies and professional placements, I frequently implemented the usage of digital technology for both learning and communication. Foremost, I believed that upholding sufficient technological skills would benefit my teaching practices. Nevertheless, through further consideration and examination of risks associated to the digital environment I realised that possessing technological awareness is disparate from knowing how to use it appropriately, ethically and competently as a future educator.

Prior perspective, allowed me to feel confident in embedding digital technology into my future classroom due to familiarity and accessibility to students by connecting to their interests, experiences and everyday use of technology. On a reflective note, I became apprehensive towards the thought of students becoming distracted, privacy matters, inequity to access and professional boundaries associated. I concluded that as a future educator, our decisions about technology, can impact not only our professional practice but also the safety, wellbeing and learning of students. Arguably, technology supports an array of educational benefits such as greater access to information, efficient communication, and engagement opportunities for learning activities. However, access to technology does not necessarily equate to meaningful learning. As teaching professionals, we have to evaluate if digital tools sincerely support the intended learning or rather creates a likelihood of risks and distractions. This is evident in the increasing expectation for students to bring their own technological devices to school. Anderson (2016) discusses a school’s decision to restrict laptops because of concerns that they were distracting students. Thus, challenging my assumption that integrating forms of technology into the classroom setting, automatically elevates student learning. From an ingenuous standpoint, a laptop device can provide additional enlightenment to knowledge, while, creating teaching pressures associated to students to becoming inattentive due to social media, entertainment and other related concerns simultaneously.

Furthermore, Haupt’s (2022) discussion of Stolen Focus showcases another perspective by considering how technology companies can profit from capturing and maintaining users’ attention. From a personal viewpoint, this indicates that student distraction cannot be solely justified through poor self-control but the responsibility of those who may intentionally design these devices and platforms to gain consistent engagement. As a practising educator, I need to re-evaluate my role in establishing appropriate boundaries connected to technology and identify strategies to alleviate the pressure on students to manage digital distractions independently. Alternatively, technology can also promote concerns of equity and privacy. McElroy (2021) explores the notion that the digital divide experienced by students in disadvantaged communities, demonstrates that access to devices and reliable internet cannot always be assumed. This implies to me, that the demand of digital work could place students in a position of experiencing inequity. Moreover, Kriegar-Lamina (2019) draws attention to privacy and surveillance within connected technologies. On judgement, this made me review the possibilities of how digital platforms selected for education, can attain confidential information and the broader implications it can have for students.

Gibbs’ (1988) reflective cycle, compelled me to deepen my initial understanding centred on technological benefits within education. Upon critical evaluation, I now understand that effective digital teaching necessitates informed decision-making as opposed to digital competency solely. As a future educator, it is essential I consider the responsibilities connected to my technological choices and the affect it has both on myself and students. Technology will be utilised with purpose, clear expectations and in account to students’ access. Approved educational platforms and awareness of privacy and professional boundaries will be instilled. Ultimately, as a professional figure, I want to model responsible technological use to students and enable them to develop the ability to engage safely, critically and ethically within digital environments.

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