First of all, where do I fit? Am I a digital native or a digital immigrant? I'm inclined to say digital native, but computers, cell phones, and such haven't always been such an integral part of my life as they are today. I didn't grow up with my own computer or cell phone (as elementary and middle school children today have). I remember when if you wanted to reach someone, you called their house - now it's not at all uncommon for people not even to have home phone lines. I'm very attached to newspapers - printed newspapers, and I dislike doing reading online - if I have an article to read for class, I much prefer to print it out where I can physically interact with the text using a pen or pencil.
Secondly - is it better to be one or the other? Prensky explains both concepts, but I feel like he attaches a stodginess to the digital immigrant - like all digital immigrants are somehow caught in the past, nostalgic for the "good old days." I don't believe that's the case of all digital immigrants, only some. Obviously, someone who has grown up with the "new" technology is going to have different skill sets than someone who hasn't, but that doesn't mean that their skills should be devalued.
I dislike the concept that, as a digital native, I am somehow "unreachable" unless someone is flashing a computer screen in front of my face. I still read books for pleasure (when I'm not doing homework...). I understand how "reading, writing, arithmetic, logical thinking, [and] understanding the writings of the past" could be considered "legacy" content, but to discount all of these subjects as "important, but from a different era" and imply that they are less interesting to "todays students" simply because they are not new is unfair to todays students and assumes that we all place a) equal importance on technology and b) place technology at a level of importance above other things.
I am not anti-technology - far from it. I email daily, use Facebook, instant message, call and text people on my cell phone, listen to music on my MP3 player, etc. However, I think that Prensky is right in wanting to expand the educational use of technology, rather than just switch entirely to a technology-based educational system. We are in a position as educators to hand-pick technologies that we feel can enhance our students learning experiences and increase our ability to facilitate those experiences.
I also found Prensky, while often on point, to be overly zealous. We should respect our students enough to trust them with source materials: novels, original discourses on philosophy, historical documents. While the novels might soon be on eReaders, turning the material itself into digitized bits and computer games for these kinds of things just to appeal to the sensibilities of kids raised on YouTube cheapens the educational experience for all involved.
ReplyDeleteThese are all good comments. It is important that we know about new technologies and are aware of their uses in the classroom. There should be a balance of hands-on activities and tech time.
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