"You are so different in person!"

"You are so different in person!" - Zoe Rogers welcoming in her 5th graders into the classroom in March! Wesch and Turkle both speak to the disconnections human beings are experiencing amongst each other in this modern world. Wesch refers to academic spaces, specifically higher education, and how there is a lack of communit and relationships wich leads to a lack of engagement from all memeers of the community. Turkle discusses how technological advancements and human beings' expodential depency on technology has led to our disconnect. Both educators/researchers speak to self awareness and understanding the needs of the individual and how those needs interact with the community around them. Wesch claim that authentic relationships are the bedrock of a learning environment and I would have to agree.In youth work we are more likely to dig deep with the youth we serve, but so often in academic spaces mastery of standards are prioritized above all else leaving relationship building to an after thought. (Speaking to education systems as a whole and not all individual teachers, because I see you all who are holding it down in your classrooms!). He speaks to technology as a way to support in closing this divide, using it innovatinely to connect with young people in new ways, but also giving young people more autonomy in how to present their learning. Turk shows how authentic relationships amongst individuals are dwindeling in our society because we are intensly connected to our phones/technology that we do not give attention to each other in real life. She referenced her daughter hanging out with her friends all staring at their phones,being together but alone. Technology has allowed ourselves to edit our words and presentation of self surpressing our own authenticity when letting the world in which has limited our connection to others but also limited our connection to ourselves. Turk is not anti technology though and I would put her as an ally to Wesch, because Turk asks up to examine our relationship with technology and use it in ways that support our authentic lives and relationship but do not become them. Wesch wrote "Meaning and significance are assured only when our learning fits in with a grand narrative that motivates and guides us." "us" being the individual. How powerful? When we discuss learning and education prioritizing relationships is always named "the right thing to do for students" but then why is it not prioritized in practice? Schools are designed as places for assimilation and often asks young people to push their authentic selves down. How can we (the community) find meaning and signifigance when our grand narrative is not allowed in the room? We know that we can use technology in innovative ways to connect with one another, learning can happen through it and with it when it is used in engaging and RELATIVE ways. We know this because we have been doing it for the past year! I have been building relationships with young people as a teacher and cocreating learning as a student all via Zoom.

P.S. I want to peep you all to a digital recourse. Nearpod is basically an interactive slidedeck that all students can open on their own commpputers and you can have interactive polls, doodles, writing, etc. My distict provided it as a recourse this year but it looks like teachers can sign up for free!