Unit 1

 

While reading Presnky’s article, I imagined he was talking about one of those futuristic eras that I see in movies. An era where cars are flying above our heads and robots are attending to our everyday needs. I didn’t know what to think. I did agree with the point that this generation is in fact different than the older generation but it is no way as different as he made it seem. 

McKenzie’s critique of Prensky’s article, was a refreshing read that highlighted the extreme generalizations that tackle this generation. Yes, it is true that this generation grew up on technology, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing nor is it something that we, as educators, need to focus on and nourish. If anything, I believe that our major role as educators is take the good from what technology has to offer, all while maintaining the old roots of education. Today’s children are used to the convenience of technology and that’s why they expect this same convenience in their education. They expect things to be handed on to them instead of doing the work themselves and that doesn’t mirror reality. If we only teach “fun” and “game” dominant lessons, then we are not preparing them to the actuality of life. There’s a difference between creating quality engaging lessons vs games. Unfortunately, if they get used to this style of learning then they will not be well prepared to succeed at the university level and above. 

Just as McKenzie stated, not all teens think equally nor do they all have the same interests. Some still value the old ways and are more in touch with nature and some are more indulged in the virtual world of technology. It is also not true that the educators of today’s world, or as Presnky labeled them the “Digital Immigrants”, do not tailor their teaching methods based on their student’s needs. Generalizing and putting all of the educators in one category is foolish. Every educator has his/her own teaching style that is related to his/her own beliefs about what encompasses good education.

Most educators have shifted to a constructivist teaching stand point which has led to meaningful learning that engages students, motivates them and includes them in their learning processes. This can be obtained with or without the use of technology. Technology is great if employed correctly and it can be a great addition to the traditional teaching methods but it shouldn’t be as dominant as Prensky suggested. 

With the advancement of technology, more and more tools are surfacing and are being implemented in classrooms. To name a few, tools such as the interactive white board (IWB), clickers, games, mobiles, and the IPod touch are a good addition to the curriculum if they’re accessible. Although the majority of the studies have proven that integrating such devices is beneficial, there are always limitations that come with them. Such implementations require additional time from the educators and the learners. Before any technological tool is introduced, the educators need to attend necessary technology training before they can use the devices. They need to also spend a significant amount of time preparing for these devices and integrating them in the curriculum. And like any technological devices, educational tools are expensive to implement and can malfunction at times and that is time wasted from learning. In order to deem these devices beneficial, researches need to outweigh the benefits. Are the benefits worth all the money and time spent to implement them?

Even if there’s no argument regarding the advantages of educational technology, the problem that still persists is the digital divide. Students from different socioeconomic backgrounds have different access to technologies. According to the U.N. Broadband Commission, more than half of the world’s population, which is around 4.2 billion people, do not have regular access to the Internet.  In the United States, one in four people don’t have access to internet at home according to the Whitehouse statistics. So if the gap still exists in the United States, then what about the other less fortunate countries? 

                                                        My Students

What Prensky’s article failed to acknowledge are the vast differences that exist between the Digital Natives based on their culture, background, socioeconomic status and so on. My students for example, are all different from each other and the core of their differences mainly arises from their cultures. I teach ESL courses at a university and every semester, I get students from different backgrounds. And although I don’t like to generalize, I have found that students that come from a specific culture share many traits in common. The majority of my students have been from India, China, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Europe. Their ages range from 19-25 years old. 

Using a simple chart, I will show you how my students are different and similar based on their background. Again, when I refer to a certain group of students, I am talking about the majority. In the chart below, I grouped my students based on their common interests and traits. Some cultures are more open to trying out new technologies and some are not very comfortable. But since they are all mature students, they tend to try their best and follow directions. 

Nationality	Traits/Behaviors
India Saudi Arabia Iraq	The majority of my Indian, Iraqi and Saudi students know how to use laptops, own cellphones, enjoy watching television, play video games and use social media; but when asked about their learning preferences, they choose traditional learning methods.            - One example is typing their essays on their laptops in the classroom. They always try to argue with me as to why they can write better using a paper and a pen instead of typing.            - They rarely check their emails and have difficulties following the rules of Blackboard. They would rather submit their assignments in person, rather than electronically.           -  They gave me some trouble when I introduced Wiki as part of our writing program. The biggest problem with Wiki was to get the students to communicate in groups on line and exchange comments back and forth. When I pointed out to them that they haven’t been communicating enough on Wiki they told me that they discussed everything face to face or over the phone instead, and that defeated the purpose of using wiki.  Again, their preferences are all based on what they have been accustomed to. Back in their countries, they didn’t have access to the latest technologies at all times and they weren’t expected to participate in technology dominant activities in their schools.
China Europe	The majority of my Chinese and European students have led a more technologically dominant lives in their countries compared to other students. They prefer to use their laptops in the classroom and are very familiar with using the internet and what it has to offer. They don’t mind incorporating technology in their learning processes.

The Whitehouse website. Retrieved 1/19/2017 from

 https://www.whitehouse.gov/connect-america