Looking Back

 Looking Back

I don't think anything really changed for me. The topic that stood out the most to me was the accessibility since I did not know about all the advances that were made since the pandemic. I think a lot of those changes and updates were made because of the increased technology use during the pandemic. Something I know I will have to continue to ask the kids about as they come in is what else has changed in accessibility and is there anything I can do with the technology that we use in order to help them with their programs better. 


What I Think

I am all for using technology in programming with the teens. I want to follow their lead since they are feeling burned out after the pandemic and school still using Chromebooks for everything. I am trying to host a few programs where they are interacting with technology through me. On the weekends once school starts, I'm hoping to see how they feel about using technology during some of the programs as well. I hope they are open to it, especially since it is for things like Kahoot and a trivia contest. Personally, I would love to give the teens a space where they do not have to be on technology for an extra hour a day if they do not want to be on it. I was part of the first group of teens to get Chromebooks in school and it was horrible. We all went from a couple hours in front of a computer a day for schoolwork or homework to being on the Chromebook for several hours a day. I feel bad for the teens now because everything is on there from their books to their homework to their tests. It does not seem like they are allowed to take a break from technology even if they want to. So if they want to put their phones and laptops away with their backpacks during a program, I am all for it. 


GIF

The gif I originally posted was this one. I think it still applies to how I feel about the course. However, after completing the course this GIF is probably more accurate to how I feel about technology. 

source: Giphy.com


With all that could go wrong with technology today and our Digital Tattoos being such a prevalent part of our careers, it feels like we need to be careful about what we share and do when it comes to technology. It often feels like there are so many things that we have to watch out for that we don't even know what we have to look out for. It gets even harder when you are a teen and have pressure on you to make sure that you keep your accounts appropriate not just for your age but your future as well. The other thing that can make it more difficult for teens is everyone just expects them to know what they are doing and how to keep safe when this is the first time they are doing any of this and for the most part their parents never had to experience this before either. 


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