Sunday, January 25, 2015

Unit 1 Prompt Response



Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants and Generational Theory

I found this week’s articles interesting and very thought provoking. I think Prensky’s article stereotypes students and the label of “Digital Natives” seems a little one sided. I agree with McKenzie that Prensky’s article lacked supporting evidence for his theory.
As a high school computer programming teacher I found my students were eager to learn to design and write programs that were not games. As Prensky suggested the incorporation of games in the learning process was the best way to get the students’ attention. In addition I taught computer courses to senior citizens and found their interest and eagerness was parallel and sometimes higher that the high school students.
I am concerned of the labels presented by generational theory presented. I understand categorizing and organizing learners in groups and recognizing their norms and styles to help understand the student audience. However, I believe caution should be observed as students are individuals and each has their own experience, hopes and dreams.
I felt the videos described my students as they seem interested in learning how to understand the materials presented and how the materials would be applied to their lives. Technology is certainly a bigger part of the educational process for my students than I think they realize. I believe sometimes they take technology for granted or assume that everyone has access to the same technology.

6 comments:

  1. As we discussed in our meeting Sunday evening, it's one thing to consider these ideas in our development of lessons, but completely another to take them as fact.

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  2. I agree that Prensky’s article was proven to contain supporting evidence and data errors. However, when you consider the behavior of students and their attention span in classrooms where there is minimal to no use of technology for assignments or activities, the videos point to using technology on a wider scale for learning. What I realized in the videos that made a strong connection is that students of the millennial era bored with the traditional way of teaching. I understand you teach computer programming, which provides allows students to use other skills, but I found the English, Science, and Social Studies course to have different experiences with their students. I agree with you that students want to do more than play games. It's good to know they're also being prepared to become computer programmers.

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    1. When students finished their assignments they often want to go back and create programs for games. It seems like a reward for getting their class assignments finished, but it works.

      In my Social Studies courses I had students choose a country then research what it would be like to visit that country. How much would it cost to live in that country compared to living in the US. Researching how much it cost to purchase gas or milk. Then using currency conversion rates ( formula in Excel worksheet) students did comparisons. I think making learning fun begins with getting the attention of the students and explaining why and how the lesson will help them in real life. It can be a challenge getting the expectations across to students, but it is worth the effort. Thanks for your comments.

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  3. I tend to agree with your point about students being eager to learn. Maybe this is because my classes are generally electives that the students want to take. I could see the issues in the core subjects being more the Prensky described

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    1. Perhaps to some degree, but I think you sound like the type of teacher that shows an interest in your students and that is what they like.

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  4. To William's point, yes, that can make a difference. It can free up your ability to make content more applicable to students' lives, and because it is an elective, you are usually not bound to specific topics for the sake of the standardized testing craze. That's not an excuse for core area teachers, though. They just have to be a little more creative. (Conversely, core area teachers have a captive audience and do not need to do as much marketing for their courses. Elective teachers know that their employment, to some extent, is dependent on the popularity of their classes.)

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