Blog Post #2

     My first real experience with Microsoft Word was in 6th grade. This is when I became Microsoft Word certified, along with Excel, and Powerpoint. So, in terms of my experience with Microsoft Word, I would say I am pretty well-versed. I prefer to use Google Docs, however, when I am on the move and away from my main desktop computer. Such as now, when I am back home instead of at FSU because I am quarantining, so if I had an assignment to work on that required a word processing software, it would be Google Docs, so that I can work on it and save it to the Google cloud. 

    Personally, the standard that stood out to me the most was 2.1. This standard describes an educator who is wiling to continually learn and better themselves in order to better educate those around them. I believe this sits with me as the best one because this is how I see myself as a future educator. I think my career in teaching and life in general would both become incredibly boring as if there's nothing to learn in life, then there's no need to continue living it. This skill will become increasingly more important as my life goes on, as technology does not seem to have an end in sight when it comes to progress. 

    I had a Leapfrog by the age of 4, which goes to show that in my early years, I was given and I adapted to, technology greater than others in earlier years could have ever dreamt of. For this reason, I believe labeling myself as a digital native is a fair and accurate statement. I would explain to my mother in her 40's how to use her computer properly at the age of 10. Some teachers were better than others when it came to technology, such as the ones who could properly realign a Smart-board, as opposed to the ones who could not even boot up their computer without having help from a student or the IT department. Because of the standard that I chose to be my own goal, I believe there will be less of a gap between my future students and I, than there was for me as a digital native, and my teachers in elementary school who were digital immigrants. 

    I do not believe badges should be a thing. I think people, and especially future educators should be able to, and willing to, complete objectives or accomplishments without receiving a badge of honor for it. I have never earned a badge before, and will most likely never will intentionally. I believe the idea of going out and helping people, for instance, has become commodified as something that people should only do when there is a camera watching, or if they get something out of it. This is where I believe the idea of badges come from, and for that reason, I choose not to participate in the idea of them.