I read this article by Prensky (2001) and I thought I'm not quite a digital native, but I don't quite fit in the digital immigrant category. I turn to the internet for info first, I install and try to learn a program by using it and only use the manual as a reference if I can't figure out something, I don't print out email unless I need it as proof, I send urls rather than calling someone in to see a website, and I don't call to check to see if someone got my email. However, I also don't speak txting fluently. I know the basics like lol and lmao, but some phrases I have to look up.
Also, this article was written in 2001 and he talks about not waiting for these students to grow up to teach other digital natives. Well, that's already happened, I'm 29 and most people younger than me are digital natives. Some of them may well be teaching by now, but they've been trained to teach in the manner of a digital immigrant. I really like the idea of incorporating technology in my classroom, but I worry that I may not be able to because I may be given a specific curriculum with specific lesson plans to follow. Due to the situation with accountability, I know that many school boards have adopted very specific curriculum and how strict they are on following it would limit how much a teacher could adapt that curriculum for digital natives.
I've seen the curriculum for my county for high school social science classes and it is very scripted. Technology is used to lecture and for review/quizzes, but not much beyond that. Also, I have so many ideas I would like to employ such as students having discussions on a blog or having a choice what kind of project they want to do whether it is a traditional report, a powerpoint presentation, or something like making a documentary, but what if I work in a low socioeconomic status school where most students don't have access to a lot of technology at home and the schools don't get as much funding for technology in the classroom. There can be many limits to what teachers may do and even digital natives may not teach in a way that relates to other digital natives.
Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
I completley agree with you when you mention that you are in the middle of the 'traditional' and tech. generations. I'm 32 and I feel like you do... I know most stuff, but there are still some things I have to look up.
ReplyDeleteI do have friends who are a bit younger (the tech. natives) who are teachers and I hear them complain all the time, that the 'cool' things they could do with their kids require a bit more funding for their classrooms... some still have those TV/VCR combo things in their classrooms as their only technology!! It's a challenge, but they try.
Even in the most challenged ESE settings the schools have a computer lab available to students before, during and after school and you could certainly set up a blog like the hootcourse one for them to post on once a week... try and do something fun and educational within the curriculum that you are given to follow.
Alex
I think we're like the first gen born in a new country. Their parents usually speak their native language at home while the kids learn a new language in school. The kids usually end up knowing a bit about each culture, but miss out on something from each which is why we have to look up some things (like definitions for txting words).
ReplyDeleteWow, it is nice to hear somebody share these thoughts! I am in my second year teaching (first year with my own students), and I am lucky enough to have a variety of technology at my disposal. However, I have been struggling with WHEN to implement this technology beyond the lecture and review time you mentioned. My school has that strict expectation of curriculum fidelity, so there is little leeway for altering the instruction. I honestly believe that anything we are teaching can be done through technology; we just need a little support some flexibility, and a lot of planning, from the instructional staff and the curriculum publishers.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Pinti