The Digital Divide Between Teachers and Students

            I agree with a lot of what the articles had to say about the behaviors of many of my students. I have noticed that many students their attention spans are a lot shorter and continue to get shorter. Talking with fellow co-workers and from my work with the children it is a struggle to keep them focused on a task for long periods of time while keeping it entertaining for them so they will learn. Prensky made a valid point that children now days their brains are wired differently and as educators we must adapt to those changes instead of trying to make them live in the past. These changes have a lot to do with technology and fact they spend time on the technology collecting information and socializing. In the classroom, students want instant gratification in everything that they are learning which makes it hard if they are struggling in a subject matter. I work with students that struggle with reading and math. I see that they don’t understand why they are even working with me because they feel that already know how to read and do math. When the students do not get the correct answer the first time and go back to do the task again and still fail they get frustrated and shut down. They do understand that sometime things take time to master and you don’t always get something at the first try. McKenzie has it right when he said “Facebook, MySpace, and Second Life are poor substitutes for face to face communities and the playground.” The fact that most of the socializing is done through an electronic device students it hard for them to interact with each other face to face. I see on the playground everyday students lack the social cues to interact with each other. I see students wondering around the playground with a ball in their hand looking like they don’t know what to do with it, they don’t know how to approach someone and ask if they would like to play with them or if they do go up to someone they are so direct that they are practically tell the other student that they are going to play with them. Conflict resolution skills are non-existent. They can’t solve a conflict on their own peacefully without arguing over the incident and blaming each other. My school struggles with this every day on the playground that is why our school is rolling out the Playworks program to help get our students to interact with each other in structured play where everyone is included and can learn ways to solve conflicts on their own and empower them to learn.

Introductions

            Hi! I am Paul Sleziak. I am second grade intervention specialist at Eisenhower Elementary in Fraser Public School System. Last year I was long-term PE/Health substitute teach and intervention specialist at various Elementary schools in the same district. I am also a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. I did a year as a computer teacher at Chandler Park Academy where I taught the fundamentals of computers and how to use them. That was a very challenging job. I did my undergraduate at Western Michigan University where I got my Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education with ZA endorsement. I am now working on my master’s degree in Instructional Technology with an emphasis in K-12. This will be my seventh semester in the program. I am getting very close to finishing my master's degree in about a year. I am the oldest of three, my brother, who is alumni of Western and Wayne State, He got his Doctorate at Michigan State, but now lives in Chelsea where he works as a pain management doctor. He also has a five-year-old daughter Arianna, two-year-old soon to be three Matt and a one year old boy named Grayson. My sister is Store Manager of Jos A. Banks and lives with my parents and me. In my spare time, I like to sing, swim, working with Habitat for Humanity, and Bowling. I love to cook and experiment with different flavors. The books that read or to be honest listen to fall into the genre of science fiction and fantasy. Books like Lord of the Rings, House of Night Series, Morganville Vampires series, Twilight, Vampire Academy, and the books by Cassandra Clare just to name a few. Some TV shows that I like to watch also fall into the same category. Shows like Firefly, Doctor Who, True Blood, Game of Thrones, Teen Wolf, Elementary, NCIS, and Project Runway. Okay! I do have a very eclectic taste when it comes to TV show, Music, and Movies that I like to watch.

             
         Even though I have had many experiences working with technology in a classroom setting. Since Fraser Public Schools has adopted a one to one technology across all grade levels. I find that there is still so much more to learn. I am looking forward to learning still even more ways that I can engage my students with technology