Thoughts on my Final Project

Please bear with me as I gather my thoughts for my final project. I originally used this as a brain dump, so I was gathering all my thoughts. I eventually decided what I wanted to do (the bolded text). I also used AI to create the spongebob memes below. I actually was impressed and thought they were funny.
I am constantly thinking of ways to do more with technology but trying to draw a line when and when not to use it. I also am unsure exactly which direction I want to lean in just yet, but I have a few ideas. 
For my final project, I started to brainstorm my own beliefs.

1. I believe students are capable of genuine creativity and curiosity with technology when they're given clear guidance rather than either unrestricted access or none at all.
2. I believe students need to be explicitly taught how to use digital tools responsibly and appropriately.
3. I believe students should have the chance to learn from their mistakes in a way that feels productive, and that explaining an error out loud, on video, does more for understanding than just reading a test correction.

After thinking about what I believed in, I began to narrow down what actions I wish I could take.

1. What if students chose their own digital tools, worked through self-paced modules to build proficiency, and then demonstrated mastery on their own terms?
2. What if I built digital, step-by-step instructional modules so students could learn the classroom's digital platforms independently?
3. What if, instead of just returning a graded assessment, I gave students back their corrections and had them record a short video explaining one problem they got wrong and used that as the real evidence of their mastery?

I'm honestly not sure if I am on the right rack but, after looking at the slide deck, I was definitely inspired by the math homework example on slide 8. I feel like the video recording is beneficial for the students to see where they go wrong because they have to actually explain it themselves. I LOVE a growth mindset, and that's exactly what this does. I have such an issue with the way my district handles assessment feedback. That is where I would want to start first, I am tired of sending back my students low grades and not doing anything about it. And I want to incorporate a technology aspect into this, I am not sure it will 100% be a video or not just yet.

Thoughts on AI

When AI was first introduced to me, it genuinely scared me, and I feared how it would affect society. Now, I am fully aware of its impacts on the environment and the ways it can be damaging, but I am trying to learn how to use it in a way that benefits me and my students.

Throughout my undergrad, I was told in some way or another that AI was cheating, that it was prohibited, and that using it would lead to failure. Now, a couple of years later, I have taken courses where professors explicitly teach ways to use AI effectively. I don't think I would have ever learned productive ways to use it unless I had been explicitly taught. This made me think about how I am labeled a "Digital Native," yet I still needed to be taught how to use different platforms of technology. I included a link of an article I read about some benefits to AI if you're interested.

Ferlazzo's arguments resonated with me because they reflect how I actually use AI in my own professional life. I frequently ask AI how I might scaffold or differentiate an assignment for my students. I feel like I'm able to use it to elevate some of my work while still maintaining my own ideas, creativity, and curiosity.

Gallant and Rettinger's argument feels validating in one sense: it matches what I already sense in my classroom, that students who lack confidence, feel time pressure, or don't have a relationship with me are more likely to look for shortcuts. But it also feels daunting as a first-year teacher, because addressing all of those root causes at once, self-efficacy, unclear expectations, peer norms, weak relationships, feels like more than I can tackle in year one. It's also harder to navigate with middle schoolers specifically, since my 7th graders are still developing the emotional regulation and self-awareness. A takeaway is more making space to teach students how to recognize and name what they're feeling before it turns into avoidance or dishonesty, alongside teaching them explicitly how to use technology and build digital literacy.

 Link: Benefits of AI

Thoughts on the term "Digital Native"

 As a first-year teacher, fresh out of college, I cannot count on my hands how many times I heard, "You're the young one, you probably know technology better than me." There is a common misconception that all young people know technology better than older generations. However, is that always true? Were we ever actually taught how to use it? The term "digital native" is too broad to be useful in today's classroom, and assuming otherwise does more harm than good.

While Prensky's original framework may have made sense previously, Spiegel's revisit reveals how much the landscape has shifted. One of my biggest concerns with the term is the assumption that every student is a digital native. In reality, that depends heavily on a student's background, socioeconomic status, and home life. We cannot assume that the year someone was born automatically makes them digitally fluent on every platform ever. Because of this assumption, students are often no longer taught the foundational skills necessary to operate technology productively, however, they still need that guidance.

Another part of Spiegel's article that stood out to me was the finding that many teens are not actually compelled by gadgetry. Again, many, not all. A lot of teens are drawn to the social aspect of technology rather than the technology itself. I think about my own experience as a teenager. I remember being 15 years old, a sophomore in high school, begging my mom for a PlayStation 4. Was I interested in the new spiderman game? Yes? However, It was mainly not because I had a new interest in gaming, but because it was how I could talk to my friends. Owning the technology was simply a means to a social end, which aligns with what is discussed on page 13. 

Spiegel also notes that English teachers must appeal to all types of digital users, just as they do all types of learners. This resonated with me deeply. We too often assume students can critically analyze media, identify bias, and distinguish between platforms, when in fact, they cannot. This does not even have to relate to just English teachers. I found myself guilty toward the end of my own school year, I assumed all my students knew how to use Google Slides. As educators, we have a responsibility to introduce digital literacy in intentional, meaningful ways rather than taking it for granted.

Sir Ken Robinson's talk reinforced this for me. His argument that schools must recognize the human conditions under which students thrive connects directly to this conversation. We cannot bring humanness into our classrooms while simultaneously making blanket assumptions about our students' digital lives. Not every child has grown up with consistent access to laptops, smartphones, or tablets. These articles have made me realize that digital literacy is not optional, it is part of meeting students where they are.

About Me

Hi! My name is Giana and I am a grade 7 math teacher in Cumberland, RI. I recently graduated from RIC in May of 2025 with my Bachelor's in Elementary Ed with a middle school math certification.

When I’m not in class I am probably at the gym, reading books, working one of my other jobs, or watching sports (If anyone has book recommendations, I love trying new reads-I'm open to anything). I have been weight lifting for years but at the end of 2025 I started running and I did my first HALF marathon in May of 2026!

I love sports, mainly baseball, football, college football and basketball. Go Sox (I unfortunately love the Red Sox a little too much, considering they like to disappoint me)! And Notre Dame Football! GO IRISH! I also have a 12 year old chocolate lab at home, Pennie who I hang out with on a daily basis.

Here is my schools comfort dog, his name is clipper (I have MANY pictures of him).

Pennie!

My boyfriend and I at a Sox's game. I met my favorite red sox player this day. (Altered my life)