Nowadays, young generation have many opportunity to get into
internet’s world. They are familiar to searching materials for their
assignment, reading online articles, playing online games and making new
friends through the digital world.
This new generation can easily adapt to changes in using
internet for many kind of activities. I still remember when I have to download
and convert some songs from youtube into mp3 format, I asked one of my form 5
students whether they could help. A student answered, every student could do it
if they know how to use computer. Since then, it is doubtless for me that
students adapt to using new technology easier and faster than we teachers
do.
As a teacher, it is no point for me to chase after the trend and
changes in technology. However it is important for me to figure out how to guide
my student to evaluate the quality of activities for them to do with
technology. Thinking about how it really
improve the students and make them a better person, how to help student gain
better perspective in their purpose in life instead of drowning them in the sea
of virtual reality, how to guide students to better use their time are important
to me as a teacher. Now the young generation learn a lot from the internet
themselves. There are so many things that they are not suitable to search in
the internet.
As a teacher, how can we advise and guide my students so that
they know what they are doing while in front of computer? We actually can introduce to them the concept
of digital citizenship. The concept helps to build a sense of responsibility
among student on the ethic in using the computer. Instead of setting rules or limitation to the
teenage students about using the internet, which could be unrealistic and
difficult, it is better to help student understand and aware of the importance
of good ethical and aesthetical value when using computer.
When we design an online activity for our students, it is
important that our Instructional design are suitable for our teaching and learning, so
that every article, video clip or even website they are browsing are “clean”
and related to the lesson we teach. Getting
a lot of pop up or animation on the website could be exciting it also cause
distraction. It is important to help students to appreciate “clean” website. It
could be difficult because all sort of pop up and advertisement appear nearly
everywhere. We must be careful when we want the students to join in our online
teaching and learning.
