Their World - A Digital One
Their World – A Digital One
By Amy Quinn
This is the only world young students know of… a digital one.
As an adult, we can see this “change” as clear as night and day because we remember the “before.” There was a time we didn’t all carry our smartphones everywhere. The “before” was a time when every place didn’t have wifi. We remember how Sunday mornings were spent holding onto a crinkly newspaper. Our main inbox was an actual mailbox. Book stores were common. The only choice for programs to watch on TV were the shows scheduled. When having a phone conversation, the only image we had was… the one in our mind.
This is the only world young students know of… a digital one.
Students entering kindergarten have only grown up in a digital world. Chances are, that starting on the day they were born, their arrival was celebrated on some type of social media. They have grown up seeing smart phones, digital billboards, flat screen TV’s and tablets everywhere. Currently, we can read the news, download books and stream our favorite shows in an instant. We can Skype, Google Hangout or Facetime with grandma, our best friend or even our neighbor at any time.
This is the only world young students know of… a digital one.
Kids today connect with each other through text messages and group chats. They interact online by playing Minecraft, posting on Instagram and Musically and sharing their life moments on Snapchat. Learning how to do new things is just a click away. You can find a video on how to cook roast beef, how to build a deck and even how to make just about any craft possible with just a click. When planning a vacation, party or event you can read reviews, look at images and plan every detail all from the comfort of your couch.
This is the only world young students know of… a digital one.
These are the students who are in our classrooms. Do our classrooms match their world? Writing is a form of expression, communication and a way to share ideas. How can the writing skills we teach in the classroom merge with the outside digital world? What can educators of young students do to not only embrace this change but prepare and support our students who are digital natives? Join my session during the “4T Digital Writing Conference” titled “Creating a Digital Writer” Sunday, October 16th at 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM where I will share my journey of how I realized I needed to make a change and meet the needs of my 1st grade students who walk through my door.
For more information please go tohttp://www.4tdwvirtualcon.com/
To register go tohttp://www.4tdwvirtualcon.com/register.html.
Join in the conversations at #4TDW!
This is the only world young students know of… a digital one. Let’s take a look at writing through their lens and create something powerful.
