Different Day – Different Student
It is safe to say that traditional teachers where not equipped with computers, cell phones, the internet and electronic devices while attending high school. Therefore, their reality about learning differs greatly from what young people today experience. Teaching “digital native” students means that instructors have to be equipped to accept how society has changed what defines as a new learning environment.
Students have learned to accept modern technology as an everyday necessity. Text messaging, for example, is a new language with abbreviated words and acronyms. Many English teachers snarl at the though of accept it as a way to communicate. Librarian no longer can wait for students to pile in to do research in the traditional way. Many students use the internet to get more than enough information. The learning trend is not in getting the information, but in deciphering it.
Many teachers are what we call, “digital immigrants.” They are learning about technology slowly as the need arises. Students, however, are being raised with new technology and operating within a technology environment is second nature. A large number of students can multi-task very easily. Part of the reason maybe that a large number of students are diagnosed as ADD or ADHD. Such students present themselves as a challenge to teachers who are not equipped to manage such a classroom.
Another issue being discussed by educators is the number of older students returning to education. Many students mature later than anticipated and decide later in life to go to college. These students bring with them families, jobs, and adult responsibilities. There approach to what they want to get out of education exceeds that of the instructor’s who learning experience has been traditional. Traditional has always included reading textbooks and writing laborious reports. Today’s student creates powerpoint presentations that are visually more attractive and memorable. The powerpoint informs the whole class and not just the teacher reading the paper.
Technology is both good and bad. Regardless of what we think of technology, as educators it behooves us to keep abreast of the changes and challenges that are occurring. We owe it to ourselves and our students to be ahead of the pack.
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2 comments:
As I commented in my own relfection, I find myself somewhere between the "digital native" and the "digital immigrant." Sure, I didn't grow up with a computer or cell phone in my face, but I did play video games with the best of them and in the last 15 years have been unable to function without a computer. What do you call us?
While it's definitely important for teachers to be somewhat technology savy to reach today's "digital native" students, I do have some concerns in that, if a teacher puts too much effort and concentration on using technology, does the teacher eventually reach the point of actually enabling students to be totally tech-dependent?
I know I've mentioned many times in blog posts and comments, and I don't want to "beat a dead horse" but I am concerned that technology may be inhibiting students' abilities to think on their own.
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