Reaction to:Marc Prensky’s

Digital Native, Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?

Melissa Arch-Ryan13 December 2008

Are we really that different?

VS.

ARE OUR STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES REALLY THAT DIFFERENT FROM OURS?

A CASSETTE PLAYER REPRESENTS MY EXPERIENCE. I AM OF A DIFFERENT GENERATION FROM THAT OF MY STUDENTS’. I GREW UP WATCHING SESAME STREET AND PLAYING NINTENDO, HOWEVER I DID NOT HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS OR A CELL PHONE UNTIL I WAS IN COLLEGE. I HAVE NEVER USED A TYPEWRITER NOR AN 8 TRACK, BUT I AM STILL REMAIN OUT OF TOUCH WITH MY STUDENTS’ UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE.

Digital NativesDigital natives’ perspectives are often under appreciated by educators. They are seen as having short attention spans and in need of instant gratification. It is believed television and video games have sucked the creativity out of our students.

The reality is their attention spans are shorter and they may have instant gratification “issues,” however their creativity is very alive. When I give my students a project relating to technology, their products always exceed my expectations. They are continually educating me about technology. I agree with Prensky when he claims that educators just simply do not know how to harness this creativity and inspire their students. We are not speaking the same language.

As educators, we need to be able to appreciate and utilize their incredible skills. They are able to do the work and learn the information, we just are not adapting our teaching to the changing world.

I-podsIn the high school where I work, there is a rule that students are not allowed to use i-pods outside of study hall.

As Prensky points out, we fail to recognize that our students can process information simultaneously. What is wrong with a student working on a project and listening to music at the same time?

The school’s policy is just another example of how we are failing to understand our students’ world. The school’s belief is that it reflects badly on the school when visitors walk through the building and students are listening to i-pods in the classroom. I feel it is totally ignoring the students’ abilities, interests, as well as possible educational uses such as podcasting. Are we looking out for students’ needs or our own?

“Edutainment”Reaching students through educational video or computer games is a fantastic way to teach or review content. Prensky points out that the idea is terrific, however it has yet to be executed well. As a foreign language teacher, I have found some fabulous resources online. My favorite is an interactive video series. The problem I find is the download time can be incredibly long. I agree with Prensky that we need to continue to develop these type of applications for our students’ learning.

THIS IS CURRENTLY MY FAVORITE ONLINE RESOURCE FOR SPANISH LEARNERS. IT IS A TELENOVELA BY BBC LANGUAGES. CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE BBC LANGUAGES’ WEBSITE: BBC LANGUAGES - MI VIDA LOCA

Problems educating digital natives: Parallel processing: Just because we are not sure

how to solve this problem of teaching less step-by-step, utilizing the students’ ability of random access, does not mean we should stop searching for a solution.

Instant gratification and short attention spans: In my opinion, this is possibly the most dangerous of the consequences of technology. The students’ perspective of waiting to achieve success and delay gratification is dangerously short. It sets them up for unrealistic life expectations. In my experience, my students are not patient for results and quickly give up if the solution does not present itself immediately. As educators and parents, we need to develop and practice this skill with our children and students. Video games and television programs scream information at them. Unfortunately, they have trouble distinguishing the difference between this type of media and human interactions and capabilities.

Time: I believe in reaching my students through technology and being able to educate them in their own language. The biggest hurdle in doing so is time. Public school educators simply do not have the time to develop and research the ways in which to speak this language. I have 125 students everyday. I have 45 minutes of plan time. After the parent phone calls, assisting students, running copies, grading papers or tests, entering grades, attending to any extra duties, I do not have the time to learn a new language. Before and after school time is used to aid struggle students or students who have been absent, in addition to any coaching or extracurricular activities that almost every teacher is involved in. It is simply expected that the teacher will use his or her after hours time to improve instruction. Learning the language of technology is the necessary component, however it is not always the most practical possibility.

If we are going to reach this generation, then society needs to put a greater importance on the education of our students by supporting the schools and their educators.

additional resources:MarcPrensky.com This is the website of Marc Prensky, the author who wrote the two articles that this presentation was based on. It is includes those two articles, as well a wealth of information regarding digital learning.

Tech Chick Tips Click on the speaker to hear the 48th podcast in a series of podcasts by two Texas educators dedicated to advancing technology in the classroom. This podcast includes 21st Century Literacy Activities and 25 Ways to Make a Difference.

ALTEC at the University of Kansas - 4teachers.org. This website contains many practical ways to utilize technology in the classroom as well as many links to additional resources for educators.

PBS Teachers - Resources for the Classroom Here teachers can search locally as well as nationally for ideas to incorporate technology into their curriculum using PBS programs.

Langwitches.org is an expanding site dedicated to encouraging foreign language teachers to educate using technology.