Unit 1, Article 1

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

Article Summary:

So, I just finished reading the article. I really enjoyed the points that this article made in reference to the dynamic shift in learning styles when comparing the digital generation to previous generations. In many ways, this article laid out ideas that have been jumping around in my head for quite a while when it comes to my feelings on teaching and the use of technology in the classroom. As the article points out, most of the older teachers who are currently still in education are digital immigrants. They did not grow up with using computers or dealing with technology on a daily basis. Because of this, technology can be foreign to them and they avoid its use in the classroom. Meanwhile, all the students in school today have grown up constantly surrounded by technology. They have never known a world without computers, the internet, and cell phones. If you have a teacher who uses no technology in the classroom, that creates a very deep and possibly insurmountable divide between the students and the teacher. Students have difficulty learning in "old" ways that are foreign to them, and "older" teachers are reluctant to teach in "new" ways that utilize technology.

Response to Article:

This can kind of be a touchy subject, but I figure I'll talk about it anyway since pretty much nobody will read these blogs. I know there's a person in cohort ahead of me that is considered an "untraditional" student (I would peg him somewhere in his late sixties). During this past quarter, I overheard him asking for help at the front desk while I was working at my TA workstation at the SMATE building. He was talking about how one of his Woodring instructors wanted him to look up one of these "newfangled" videos on this thing called "YouTube." He had no idea what this was, and I remember him specifically making a comment that he would never use something like this in his classroom.

Now, I'm sure that this guy is very nice and a good guy to be around. But, in all seriousness, how in god's name can people who approach technology in this way make lessons that are relevant to a typical high school student? Using technology in the classroom is vital to reaching students and making lessons relevant to them. I think that this guy's comment about not using things like YouTube in his classroom is a prime example of the point this article is trying to make. If students in his future classroom become disinterested in his lessons and score poorly on their subsequent tests, is it really going to be their fault?