Journal Question #2

Question: After reading the article "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants," start to blog about your thoughts in terms of the "Digital Generation Gap." What are the primary challenges facing instructors of digital natives?

Link: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

I agree wholeheartedly with the ideas presented in this article. There is a definite gap between students' technological abilities and the teachers' knowledge and willingness to use technology. Being a younger teacher, I feel more connected to the technology used by my students but I know that there are still many things that I can learn from them about these new tools.

Prensky brings up some great points that every teacher needs to consider. The so-called "digital natives" will not go backwards so teachers must make every effort to adapt to the new tools and learning styles of the students. Forcing the students to conform to outdated norms and methods of running a classroom lead to disinterested and unmotivated students. I try to use technology in the classroom as often as possible but I know that up to this point, I have not done all that I can do. Just in the past week I have learned about many new tools that I know my students will enjoy using both in and out of the classroom.

One of my hurdles in teaching the "digital natives" is the access to computers on a regular basis. I do not have computers for each student and the limited computer labs are often snatched up well in advance by English teachers from all three grades in my school. I would be great to assume that every student has access to a computer outside school on a regular basis but I cannot guarantee that. I think the way to get around this is to allow for an extended period of time to complete assignments that involve a technology component. This would allow students without a computer at home to make plans to either stay after school to use the computer or go to a friend's house.

I think another challenge facing the "digital immigrants" is the speed at which change occurs. There are so many new tools and applications popping up every day that it's hard for educators to stay ahead of the curve. From Twitter to Glogster, students have so many ways to communicate their ideas and feelings that for teachers to become well versed in all of these seems like a daunting task. I think educators should focus on one or two of these tools and try to integrate these into their lessons. From experience, I know that students will respond positively to these attempts to use technology.