Reflection 1- Annotated and rewritten

 Driving question 1: What is the impact of technology on education and on us?

Original: 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, education undergo a dramatic transformation as classrooms shifted to screens almost overnight. An article from The Washington Post titled "How the outbreak is reshaping education" sheds light on how remote learning not only changed the way we teach but also challenged our ideas about attendance, equity, and the human connections that schools foster. Some school systems have kept remote options available, which has opened doors to specialized courses and offered flexibility for students with unique needs. However, this transition also highlighted some serious inequalities, like the “homework gap,” where many students struggled without devices or internet access. It raised important questions about whether technology could ever truly replace the value of in-person teaching.

Thinking back on my own online learning experiences, I remember feeling a mix of gratitude and frustration. On one hand, technology helped me keep up with my studies and stay connected with friends during lockdowns. On the other hand, I often felt isolated and found it tough to stay engaged when classes were just a screen away. Like many, I dealt with “Zoom fatigue” and realized how easy it was to get distracted. These conflicting feelings really show the double-edged nature of technology: it can empower us, but it can also be overwhelming.

There were definitely some clear advantages to this rapid digital shift. Both students and teachers picked up new skills using platforms that enhanced collaboration and communication. Technology brought flexibility, allowing learning to carry on even when schools were closed. For certain students, like those facing health challenges or unique learning needs, remote options proved to be more inclusive. Yet, the downsides were significant. Many vulnerable learners fell behind, some completely disengaged, and mental health issues became more pronounced. The heavy reliance on devices also highlighted and widened existing inequalities, with some students thriving while others struggled without even the basic tools to participate.

The broader literature backs up this critical perspective. Selwyn (2016) points out that discussions around educational technology often miss the bigger picture of inequality and teaching methods, cautioning against getting too carried away with its advantages. In a similar vein, Håkansson Lindqvist (2015) discovered that gaps in students’ digital skills can hinder the effectiveness of technology in learning settings. These viewpoints indicate that while technology certainly has great potential, its effectiveness really hinges on the context, access, and the abilities of both educators and students. My own experiences with remote learning, which have had their ups and downs, resonate with these insights: the real question isn’t whether we incorporate technology, but how we go about it.

Reflecting on my journey, I’ve come to realize that technology in education isn’t inherently good or bad. Its influence is largely determined by how thoughtfully it’s woven into teaching, how accessible it is for everyone, and how well it fosters human connections. As I look ahead to my future as a teacher, my plan is to use digital tools purposefully to enrich learning—not just to jump on the latest trend. I want to help students develop their digital literacy so they can engage with technology in a meaningful way, and I’ll work to create classroom practices that honor both technological advancements and the importance of human interaction.

Peer feedback I used (Highlighted):

1: Mary Jane Skopakow's feedback on my reflections - Stanford Method

Hi Davina! Your reflection on the impact that technology has on us was great, and I especially liked how you were able to seamlessly integrate your own past and future experiences as a student and pre-service teacher, respectively, into your piece. I noticed that in your second paragraph you use quotation marks for "zoom fatigue", I do believe it should be changed to an apostrophe. The only other thing that I would wish you would change is for your third paragraph to include more literature. You talk a lot about the implications that new technology has had on our mental health, which is a very big topic of discussion as of late, so there would be many journals exploring this. So what if you try to back-up the content in this paragraph using the peer-reviewed research that others have completed, which will give your reflection a lot more substance and meaning to other readers? Overall, great job!

• ✅ Removed quotation marks from "zoom fatigue"
• ✅ Added peer reviewed studies: Browning et al. (2021) on stress, anxiety, and fatigue from remote learning. Loades et al. (2020) on loneliness and depression during lockdowns.
• ✅ Smoothened the paragraph flow to integrate your experience with research, given the reflection more substance

2: Chantelle Radan's feedback on my reflections

I like how your ideas flowed throughout the reflection with your desire for teaching being clear through your explanation. I like how you utilised various sources of evidence to support your reasoning which included the correct in-text citations. I like how the evidence selected included short and concise statements that were explained effectively and connected to answering your driving question. In addition, I like your use of anecdotes which further enhanced your writing and how you drew upon your emotions to strengthen your points. I wish that you would spend a little more time varying your sentence structure as some of the sentences were lengthy and could have been worded a little different. What if you summarised your main points and combined them to allow for a better flow of information in each paragraph. What if you also included the year of the publication of the Washington Post article to ensure that it is cited correctly

• ✅ Corrected APA citation 
• ✅ Adjusted sentence structures in various places of the reflection 
• ✅ Paragraph flow is smoothened, better clarity

Annotated & rewritten (the changes are in bold):

During the COVID-19 pandemic, education undergo underwent a dramatic transformation as classrooms shifted to screens almost overnight. An article from The Washington Post titled "How the outbreak is reshaping education" (St. George, Strauss, Meckler, Heim, & Natanson, 2021) sheds light on how remote learning not only changed the way we teach but also challenged our ideas about attendance, equity, and the human connections that schools foster. Some school systems have kept remote options available, which has opened doors to specialized courses and offered flexibility for students with unique needs. However, this transition also highlighted some serious inequalities, like the "homework gap", where many students struggled without devices or internet access. It raised important questions about whether technology could ever truly replace the value of in-person teaching.This raises the critical question of whether technology can ever fully replace in-person teaching. 

(APA citation & improved sentence clarity and flow.)

Thinking back on my own online learning experiences, I remember feeling a mix of gratitude and frustration. On one hand, technology helped me keep up with my studies and stay connected with friends during lockdowns. On the other hand, I often felt isolated and found it tough to stay engaged when classes were just a screen away. Like many, I dealt with Zoom fatigue and realized how easy it was to get distracted. These conflicting feelings really show the double-edged nature of technology: it can empower us, but it can also be overwhelming.

(Removed quotation marks from ZOOM FATIGUE for style consistency)

There were definitely some clear advantages to this rapid digital shift. Both students and teachers picked up new skills using platforms that enhanced collaboration and communication. Technology brought flexibility, allowing learning to carry on even when schools were closed. For certain students, like those facing health challenges or unique learning needs, remote options proved to be more inclusive. Yet, the downsides were significant. Many vulnerable learners fell behind, some completely disengaged, and mental health issues became more pronounced. The heavy reliance on devices also highlighted and widened existing inequalities, with some students thriving while others struggled without even the basic tools to participate. Research backs up these worries: a study by Browning et al. (2021) revealed that extended screen time and remote learning during the pandemic were linked to increased levels of stress, anxiety, and fatigue among students. In a similar vein, Loades et al. (2020) found that young people faced a greater risk of loneliness and depression during lockdowns.

(Added two peer-reviewed studies to strengthen evidence as suggested in feedback)

The broader literature backs up this critical perspective. Selwyn (2016) points out that discussions around educational technology often miss the bigger picture of inequality and teaching methods, cautioning against getting too carried away with its advantages. In a similar vein, Håkansson Lindqvist (2015) discovered that gaps in students’ digital skills can hinder the effectiveness of technology in learning settings. These viewpoints indicate that while technology certainly has great potential, its effectiveness really hinges on the context, access, and the abilities of both educators and students. My own experiences with remote learning, which have had their ups and downs, resonate with these insights: the real question isn’t whether we incorporate technology, but how we go about it. These insights really highlight that while technology has incredible potential, its effectiveness hinges on the context, accessibility, and the skills of both teachers and students. Personally, my own mixed experiences with online learning echo these findings: the real question isn’t whether we should use technology in education, but rather how we can best weave it into the learning process.

(Smoothed flow for readability while keeping the key points)

Reflecting on my journey, I’ve come to realize that technology in education isn’t inherently good or bad. Its influence is largely determined by how thoughtfully it’s woven into teaching, how accessible it is for everyone, and how well it fosters human connections. As I look ahead to my future as a teacher, my plan is to use digital tools purposefully to enrich learning—not just to jump on the latest trend. I want to help students develop their digital literacy so they can engage with technology in a meaningful way, and I’ll work to create classroom practices that honor both technological advancements and the importance of human interaction. use technology in a thoughtful and impactful way, all while making sure that our classroom practices keep those essential human connections that are the foundation of education.

(Adjusted sentence structure to vary length and improve flow)