Gen Z teachers like Katrina Sacurom, a 5th grade teacher in Frisco, Texas, grew up knowing the ways technology can isolate students.
So she uses media literacy to teach them how to build connections to each other and the world around them.
Now in her fourth year of teaching, Sacurom entered the classroom as a resident via Johns Hopkins University鈥檚 City Teaching Alliance, which she said allowed her to explore ways to use instructional technology in meaningful ways. 鈥淲e could immerse ourselves in the different educational technologies and platforms that were鈥攁nd I would say still are鈥攂eing integrated into the students鈥� everyday lives and the way that instruction is disseminated,鈥� she said.
鈥淭he teaching landscape is always an evolving thing because of the various technologies and developments that are introduced into the way that people learn,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ith the advent of AI and its integration inside the classroom, we鈥檙e going to see a lot more advancement of ideas and the way that they can be executed.鈥�
Sacurom uses an after-school weekly newspaper and documentary crew activities to show students how to apply their storytelling skills across media, while also reporting on the issues that matter to themselves and their classmates. In the process they learn technical skills, from drafting on Canvas and Google editing platforms to using artificial intelligence tools ethically while writing.
In addition to producing a weekly student newspaper, Sacurom鈥檚 5th graders are filming a yearlong chronicle about their lives, to be premiered at the end of the year. In the process, she said, they are learning what it means to be leaders at their school, showing what they can offer in service to their peers and to 鈥渦nderclassmen,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 get to help my students take ownership of their learning, but also take ownership and agency of their status as 5th graders,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s teachers, we really want our students to extract from their learning lessons that they can take with them throughout many stages of their life.鈥�
View the video to see all of Sacruom鈥檚 insights.