Benefits and Limitations of Digital Media in Primary School Education

As a students studying to become a Primary Educator I chose to explore the benefits and limitations of digital media in student learning and engagement. However, I felt as if this question was very broad and needed to narrow down the specifics that I wanted to focus on, in order to stop myself from rambling about the many things that could have come under the original focus question.

Being the first PodCast I have ever recorded I turned the broad Focus Question into a more specific idea that concentrated on what I had seen first hand within the classroom on my placement experience. To start off with I focused on the history of digital media, particularly when digital technology within schools became accessible to all students. When talking about benefits and limitations I made it so I focused on one specific subject being mathematics.

I used three sources throughout my podcast at different stages in order to define and provide further information about the history of digital media within education.

There are many definitions for Digital Media, I chose to use the definition provided by Jennifer Jurling and Jen Powell as their article as they spoke specifically about digital media within education and the education of digital media.

I used the article by Audrey Watters to explore when Digital Media became prominent within schools, in Australia and around the world. This article outlined how schools since 1990 have been either expecting students to have their own individual form of technology or schools providing forms of digital media to students while at school.

The Education and Training Sector of the Victorian State Government provides schools with information about ways in which Digital Media has to be used to enhance learning and teaching. I used this resource because it is one used by all schools and teachers across Victoria, setting the standards for the use of Digital Media within schools.

In the creation of my PodCast I have used music sourced from Bensound under the free creative commons license, I have used music to create an introduction and conclusion to my PodCast, as well as using it for faint background noise throughout. I felt as if it was too quiet with just me talking the whole time so the use of music in the background made it easier for myself to listen too inorder to edit.

I have never like listening to my own voice and try to avoid doing so as much as possible, this task pushed me out of my comfort zone when it came to having to edit the recording I had made. In order to assist myself in editing my own PostCast I tried to focus more on what I was saying rather than my actual voice, trying to make myself believe I wasn’t listening to my own voice. By also adding the background music I was able to focus more on what I was actually saying and the content within the PodCast.

This task showed me a different side to social media, I haven’t explored before, and it has opened my eyes to many forms of PodCasts. I have had the opportunity to explore educational, comedic, and conversational just to name a few.

Reference List:

Jurling, J. & Powell, J. 2016, ‘What is Digital Media?’, Learn.org, retrieved 21 May 2019, https://learn.org/articles/What_is_Digital_Media.html

Victorian State Government 2019, Using Digital Technologies to Support Learning and Teaching, Victorian State Government, retrieved 21 May 2019, https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/curriculum/Pages/techsupport.aspx

Watters, A. 2015, ‘(25 Years Ago) The First School One-to-One Laptop Program’, Hackeducation, retrieved 21 May 2019, http://hackeducation.com/2015/02/12/first-one-to-one-laptop-program

Online Identity vs. Real-World Identity

Identity is ‘the sum of your characteristics’ (Internet Society), however our online identity differs from our real-life identity. As online we are able to pick and choose which characteristics we use to represent ourselves. ‘When you are using the Internet, your online identity is the sum of your characteristics and interactions’ (Internet Society) that you have and create when using the Internet.

Overtime it is inevitable for everyone to change their online identity, and the way they use social media. Profile Pictures are one part of social media that is used to create a social identity, it is the first aspect that other users see when visiting a new page or account. Personally the only social media account that use profile pictures, is Instagram. Compared to my used of Facebook, which I rarely use and have not updated my profile picture in nearly three years. I use Instagram on a daily basis posting quite regularly, however Facebook I use maybe once a week, more for group events and activities and have not posted on it in years. My frequency of updating Profile Pictures is determined by my frequency of use.

I recognise that my profile picture can depict to people who I am and how I want to be interpreted, ‘how I define my interests may encourage me to identify myself in particular ways’ (Jenkins 2014). As we change our interests develop and therefore what we wish to display on social media advances, individually my identity has changed as my interests change I have now versus when I was younger. I believe that I change my Instagram Profile Picture more often than my Facebook Profile Picture because of the differences in use I have for each social media source. My current lack of interest in Facebook shows in that I have not updated my profile picture or uploaded anything since 2016. However, my interest in Instagram shows as my Profile Picture is updated regularly keeping up to date and relevant with what I want to share on my instagram.

These profile pictures I believe directly correlate to the Persona we constructed online, what and how we want others to see us. ‘Who we are, or who we are seen to be, can matter enormously’ Jenkins (2014) to individuals, as everyone wants their best persona to be recognised and seen by others. My online persona is made up of my interests and things that I have done such as going out to different place. I have constructed my Instagram to portray the best side of myself, much like what most users do. In order to portray myself online I only post what I find the most interesting, and only the best photos from those days. As shown in a Tweet I posted only a few weeks ago about how I Pick-and-Choose the photos in which I believe I look the best or best portrays me as a person, using photos from days out, holidays or special events.

Over recent year I have been able to recognise the identity I like to portray of myself online, this has lead to me being able to refine what I specifically want to post in order to maintain a theme across my Profile. Due to my love for the outdoors, specifically sailing and camping, the majority of my photos are of me at the beach or outside as that is what is most important to me, however there are some images I want to share that do not match this theme, although rare I still post them, they show other sides of my life. I have an outdoors theme running through my Instagram, however this does not mean I only post photos that match, as it is inevitable as a younger person I will experience many events in my life like family or other significant events.  

However it is not just about the picture or video you post but also the caption that goes along with it. There have been times where I have delayed posting a photo I really love just because I don’t have a clever or meaningful caption to go with it, and I know I’m not alone in that situation. As the ‘presentation of the self through a study of social network patterns’ Marshall (2010) is used by most to create their own form own social media. Everyone has a different use of social media; most people are influenced into creating the perfect persona of themselves and to maintain an image in order to gain likes or followers.

REFERENCES

Internet Society, Welcome to the Online Identity – An Overview training module, Internet Society, retrieved 13 April 2019, https://www.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/tutorials/online_identity_overview/story_content/external_files/Overview%20Online%20Identity.pdf

Jenkins, R. 2014, 4th edn, Routledge, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, pp. 1-13, retrieved 12 April 2019, file:///Users/clairecampbell/Downloads/9781315887104_googlepreview.pdf

Marshall, P. D. (2010) The promotion and presentation of the self : celebrity as marker of presentational media. Routledge. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ir00031a&AN=dul.30050334&authtype=sso&custid=deakin&site=eds-live&scope=site (Accessed: 12 April 2019).

ALM101

“The working national media” by Marc Nozell is licensed under CC BY 2.0T

The Making Social Media unit has changed my perception on the use of social media platforms and has also introduced me to new platforms. Personally, in the past I rarely post to social media accounts, however I do use them quite often just for seeing what others are doing or what could be happening on a broader level.

Before partaking in ALM101 I did not have a Twitter or WordPress account, so it has opened my eyes to new forms of social media. However, I have not used either platforms very much outside the unit task’s. I personally do not believe that I would have ever made either of these accounts if it hadn’t been for this unit. I do enjoy using WordPress though, and have liked the experience of writing blog post’s about my past involvements.

Twitter had been a different story, being the only time I have opened or used the accounts being within the 2-hour seminar each week. The only Tweets I have made being ones that were asked of us, within the class. For example, this tweet was created as part of a group discussion about the Moral Rights of a Creator. As a group we created this mind map of our opinions, beliefs and research on the topic before sharing it with the ALM101 hashtag.

Overall the Unit has been enjoyable and opened my eyes to new forms of media that I hadn’t experienced before as well as making it easier to understand different rights and responsibilities us as Social Media users have.

Taking a step outside

I like to spend as much time as possible outside. I find that it is important to go outside especially with others. These are some different activities that I personally do outdoors:

  • Walk my dog – I try to go to as many different parks and beach as possible sometimes traveling half an hour to a new place
  • Sailing during the summer (and when I was younger during the winter) – I sail myself as well as instruct sailing to younger kids
  • Camping – I personally enjoy camping during the winter, when you can have an open fire and snuggle under blankets

Even though it is important to spend time outside in the fresh air, it is important to make sure you wear the correct clothing and protection. As Australia’s weather is quite harsh so it is import to wear sunscreen in summer, and to keep warm in winter.

Pick and Choose

As you grow up your skin type changes, and that means the way in which you take care of your skin needs to change with it. Personally as I have gotten older my skin has become more problematic, different products cause my skin to break out so I need to be very picky about what I put on my skin.

Recently my routine has become a lot more refined, having specific steps I take both morning and night. I like to use natural products that I know will not harm my skin, and will help with specific problems that I am facing that day.

My Skin is dehydrated (due to being a swimmer and being in chlorine), but also combination (oily and dry). This means day to day I change my routine slightly with the products I use. However the way and order in which I apply them always stays the same:

  1. Apply small amount of pimple cream to any spots I have
  2. Pat Eye cream around my eyes using ring finger
  3. Gently massage Retinal cream around face (avoiding eye area)
  4. Press in a hydrating serum (if I feel as if I need that extra hydration)
  5. Press in Moisturiser (I use a different one for morning and night)
  6. Lock everything in by pressing an Oil to match skin conditions that day

This leaves my skin glowing, however also once a week I will try use a face mask and exfoliator in order to keep my skin smooth and fresh. Every person’s skin is different and requires different needs in order to keep it healthy, so i suggest trying different products until you find what works for you.

Man Cave turned to Daughters Dream Room

Recently I had to opportunity to watch my dream bedroom come to life. I had a completely blank canvas to start with and I mean completely blank, no proper walls or ceiling. This allowed me to completely create my dream room, with my colour pallet being quite neutral: white, grey and black with rose gold accent pieces.

As I am still living at home throughout my university years, my parents and I made the decision to transform my dads old workshop/storage area; into a bedroom, half bathroom and walk in robe in order for me and my boyfriend (who stays with us 2-3 night of the week) to have our own space. As soon as the decision was made that we were going to build a completely new room, I got the opportunity to design exactly what I wanted and needed in this space.

However the first step before I was able to make any major decisions was that we had to build in walls and the ceiling. Luckily my Dad and Boyfriend are both very handy when it comes to building, and I would not have even known where to start if it wasn’t for them. So after a few weeks and probably about 20 trips to Bunnings, the bones of the room to the point where we had walls and a ceiling, making it feel like an actual room.

The next step was choosing paint and the colours; since the beginning of the process I wanted my room to be simple and relatively neutral tones. With most of my walls I went with white, however I wanted a feature wall that my bed would be up against. After looking at multiple swatches I picked 3 shades of grey to get samples of to actually test on the wall in my room. After a few days of staring at the three shades I settled on a light slightly purple toned grey.

Once the main room and base of the wardrobe was done we moved onto the powder room, where I was to have a large vanity (for all my makeup and hair products) and a toilet. That meant that I had to go tile shopping and choose the tiles that would match my theme, as well as ones that I would be happy to look at every day. I ended up choosing plain white tiles with white grout for 3/4 walls, white subway tiles with black grout for the back wall behind my vanity and makeup mirror and concrete grey tiles for the floor.

Once all the rooms were done they just needed furnishing, I did a lot of research of rooms that I liked the look of as well as ideas for practicality as I am still currently studying. I knew I needed a desk, so using left over bench top from my vanity, we created a floating desk which meant there was minimal space floor space taken up. I ordered my bed and a chair off http://www.templeandwebster.com.au/ and my bedside tables off http://www.amartfurniture.com.au/ which I love all of the pieces in my room as I wanted it to be minimalist but still functional. Because lets be honest I know I have a lot of stuff so I needed as much storage as I could get.

All and all building this room has been the best experience and I have loved the whole process so much, even though I have a few small things that I still need to do such as hanging pictures that I designed, printed and framed.

Hope you have enjoyed my first post and a little bit of an insight into what was a few months of hard work that ended up being well worth it.