Blog Journal #4

Before taking EME2040, I never considered using Twitter as an educational tool. However, this course has taught me that, when used properly, it can prove to be a very beneficial resource! For instance, I have been communicating with many of my classmates about class assignments and topics. We engage with one another very often, and I believe this alone proves that Twitter can be a great resource in the classroom. Beyond my classmates, I have been interacting with many different major educational outlets such as the New York Times, Quizlet, Elon Musk, etc. This is beneficial to me as interacting with these accounts keeps me updated on what is going on around the country and world as well as in the educational world. In regard to my future career as a British Literature Professor, I can use Twitter as a platform to communicate with my students in a more modern way. I can communicate messages regarding the class through a class page as well as post fun, literature-based challenges that the students can complete to gain some extra-credit.

I believe the biggest effect the digital divide has on students' success is the method of learning teachers expect their students to use and the method of learning that students are accustomed to, comfortable with, and prefer.  Many students, me included, prefer to take notes on their laptops. This provides a level of comfort for me as I can type much faster than I can write. However, some teachers still require their students to take handwritten notes. This requirement can cause stress and anxiety because the student knows they will not be able to take their notes as thoroughly as they wish. Furthermore, if a teacher is not familiar with certain technological tools that can be used in the classroom, that can end up hurting the students as there are many educational resources within technology that an enhance education. There are many causes of the digital divide, but I believe the biggest cause is the difference in generations at the moment between students and teachers. Most of our teachers were not born in a time of technology, so it is understandable that they would not be as familiar with technology as their students. There was a major advancement in technology that occurred rapidly between these two generations. Some other causes could be lack of funding in schools so teachers are forced to not have technology in their classrooms which only enhances the level of the digital divide as they are not familiarizing themselves with the tools in the classroom. Given that I will not be a teacher for many years, I believe my students will be a lot more tech-savvy than me. However, as I want to be a literature professor, this issue will not affect me as much as other professors as we will mainly be focusing on literary texts. However, my students could possibly prefer to read from a tablet or their computer which could be an adjustment for me. If I came across the problem where we are using technology and they know too much more than me, I can simply ask them to explain it to me so I can slowly decrease the digital divide in my classroom. 

The two software tools I would like to implement in my classroom are definitely Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook. I would use Word to create and publish information on the topics we are covering, a way to guide my students through our discussions. Word is a great resource to use for publishing notes as there are many different formatting options available. For example, I can bullet the notes, number key aspects, put them into columns, create a table if it were suitable for the information, make the notes visually pleasing by adding graphics and page borders, and so much more. Furthermore, Word is a great tool for writing papers, which is a key aspect of any English course. Secondly, I would use Outlook as a way to communicate with my students and for them to communicate with each other, such as I use Outlook right now during my collegiate years! Additionally, Outlook includes a section where it has recommended groups that it believes you might be interested in or benefit from. This is a great resource as many students struggle with coming up with something to get involved in! Both of these resources would greatly benefit my students, and I will make sure they know all of the many ways to use them both.