Teaching High School students for only one year I could really relate to the video as well as some of the information in the readings. My first few weeks of teaching most of the faces looked just like the ones on the video but since i was new to teaching I just did what i thought worked. I took some of what the seasoned teachers offered to show me and put my spin on it. I learned a lot from my students so I agree that the Digital Immigrants are going to have to change their way of thinking to reach the students of today.
My pastor is a boomer and so am I, he always refers to each generation so he can reach them where they are. He talks about the Seniors and the Millennial generations often but i had never heard about the Net Generation, Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants,Generation Edge or Generation Me. After the reading I have a better understanding of not only students but youth and some adults as well.
Prensky said "Today's students are no longer the people our educational system was assigned to teach. A big discontinuity has taken place (Singularity) an event which changes things so fundamentally that there is absolutely no going back". Some children have spent their entire life with Digital technology so of course their way of thinking is totally different from that of the Digital immigrant. I agree that some of my students compared to the digital natives where they thrived on instant gratification and frequent rewards however I see nothing wrong with that and was willing to to comply as long as it was deserved.
One trait I did not notice in the video or the reading was how this generation has had to raise themselves and some have had to go as far as be the provider in the family. Children are not the same in a lot of ways, such as some are coming from a foster care environment where there was no parent at all, some from parents on drugs, some from abusive parents, very young parents, parents in jail, living in shelters and various other life styles. When children come to school they have a lot on their mind other than getting an education and teachers are going to have to be able to break through all those barriers in order to reach the child's brain to educate it. I enjoyed both the readings and the video, I found them to be very educational !
The key thing about the debate is whether they "think" differently. Also, is technology the cause of this idea that they do (again, it's up for debate)? In other words, did the devices make them act differently (i.e., more instant gratification), or was it something that was more culturally influenced?
ReplyDeleteAs a society, we are influenced by technology. I think that these devices condition students to act differently (i.e. instant gradification and frequent rewards).
DeleteWhat i have notied is that technology not only in the classroom but also in everyday life has made people interact less with each other. Social skills are really demenishing as well as how people treat each other. I do think technology played a big part in that because instead of talking to each other we email or text. When you talk to students now they seem to have much more attitude when talking to adults and no respect for their teachers at all. I think this is one of the negative effects of technology. I think the devices have made them act differently in that regard.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article by Twenge and pondering over his statement that students aim to high and most of them do not reach there goal because they have selected the wrong career path, i was shocked becauase that is not problem in todays society. Students can put their interest in a computer, it will tell them what is the best career path and what education requirements are needed to get there. Most schools have a career path program that lets students get a feel of what certain jobs are about. As educators i don't think we should start telling our students they are aiming to high however i do think we should be honest if we feel they do not have the potenial for certain careers.
Andrea, I've also noticed diminishing levels of personal interaction. How often do you go to a restaurant and see people of all ages staring at their cell phone instead of enjoying each others company.
ReplyDeleteTo respond to the career comment, I'm sure many of the jobs of tomorrow do not exist yet. It's our job to introduce students to as much as we can. Look at their skills and interests and build them up from there.