Saturday, August 16, 2008

Reflection on Teaching the Digital Natives.

I found Prensky's article to be very interesting and enlightening. In a few weeks I will be headed out to become a teacher to students who would be considered digital natives. The challenge that lies before teachers is how to get their students to learn the information that they need to be successful. Prensky argues that the children who have grown up with digital technology (digital natives) have new ways of thinking and processing new information. The problem, according to Prensky, is that the teachers who have come to learn about digital technology (digital immigrants) still cling to traditional teaching styles that are starting to get lost on the digital natives.

The increased level of information and the speed in which it is presented has changed the face of education and teachers need to be prepared to deal with digital natives' expectations of receiving information. I personally feel that incorporating technology into the classrooms present a new exciting way to interact and reach children through common ground. One thing I found particularly interesting was when Prensky pointed out that digital natives could memorize 100 pokemon characters why not 101 countries. If teachers can apply student's interests and recognize the ways that students are familiar with receiving information, they can create lessons that promote learning.

Teachers must also not assume that every student has an iPod, iPhone, and supercomputer at home with every program. There are those natives that don't have the resources that others do. If teachers assume that all their students watch cable while instant messaging they risk alienating the students that don't have the knowledge or means to be technologically savvy. There should also be attention paid to creating an level playing field for understanding technology use in the classroom. Again, teachers must be able to deal with all of the digital natives and the ways they process information.

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