Marc Prensky's article "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" presents valid ideas on an educator's approach to a digitally-immersed student body. I agree with the fact that students process things differently today than they did a half-century (or even a decade!) ago.
I don't entirely agree that today's generation is incapable of taking one thing at a time, which the article implied with its constant note on this generation's preference for random access. I learned, as one who probably belongs to this "Digital Native" category, that there are many characteristics of learning that I assumed the previous generation would share that they do not.
The article made me wonder if his assumption about this generation's attraction to games hasn't always been true. It seems that students at any time in history would have preferred playing a game to sitting and hearing a lecture. But perhaps I am allowing my "Digital Native" bias to speak...
Monday, January 28, 2013
Week 2, Part 2
I chose to focus on NETS-T #1 and NETS-S #4.
The first technology standard for teachers says that teachers should "use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments."
I think that this standard is particularly important because students want to learn only when doing something that interests them. This standard requires teachers to use technology to foster creative environments in which students want to learn.
The fourth technology standard for students says that students should "use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources."
I chose this standard because I think that it puts technology to its best use. Technology is particularly helpful in a classroom (and in real life) when used to solve or research a specific problem. Much like a hammer would be useless unless you had something which needed hammering, so technology is somewhat useless unless you have a problem to solve.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Reflection #1
Perhaps I am better acquainted with technology than I had assumed! I just completed training on one of the university's technological resources. The training was an hour long and consisted of undergraduates as well as graduate students, faculty, and staff.
I was astonished at the amount of questions! It seemed like a fairly simple website to maneuver, yet we used the entire hour, and questions were still floating around at the end.
I noticed that many of the graduate students were middle aged. This served as a bit of a revelation to me: the people writing technology standards aren't young. The people behind complex government documents dictating an appropriate amount of technology in the classroom are extremely familiar with those who cannot even find the on/off button on a computer. They are imposing uncomfortable standards on their own generation.
It's very possible that future teachers from my generation will not have any problems integrating technology in the classroom. It's entirely second nature.
I was astonished at the amount of questions! It seemed like a fairly simple website to maneuver, yet we used the entire hour, and questions were still floating around at the end.
I noticed that many of the graduate students were middle aged. This served as a bit of a revelation to me: the people writing technology standards aren't young. The people behind complex government documents dictating an appropriate amount of technology in the classroom are extremely familiar with those who cannot even find the on/off button on a computer. They are imposing uncomfortable standards on their own generation.
It's very possible that future teachers from my generation will not have any problems integrating technology in the classroom. It's entirely second nature.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Week 1
Teaching is my "no duh" career.
I have always loved to help people. Perhaps this is a common trait among future teachers, but even as a youngster, the biggest way for me to feel valued was by passing out napkins or cups in Sunday school or setting the table.
I had never really considered teaching as a future career, until one lackluster day during my junior year in high school. In helping a peer with a homework assignment (a task not uncommon for me), it occurred to me that I was able to transfer successfully knowledge that I had and then watch her apply it in her own studies.
"No duh, Heather. You do this all the time, and you love it." This magical transference had a lasting effect on me: it determined my future career.
My attitude toward technology is not as open as it probably should be. I tend to see technology as somewhat of a distraction in the classroom, but I also understand that it is necessary to make the classroom efficient and relevant. Perhaps technology scares me somewhat because I feel that our society is losing important skills due to virtually universal access to technology. I am excited to learn how to utilize technology when it will be useful and to know when it will merely be a distraction.
I have always loved to help people. Perhaps this is a common trait among future teachers, but even as a youngster, the biggest way for me to feel valued was by passing out napkins or cups in Sunday school or setting the table.
I had never really considered teaching as a future career, until one lackluster day during my junior year in high school. In helping a peer with a homework assignment (a task not uncommon for me), it occurred to me that I was able to transfer successfully knowledge that I had and then watch her apply it in her own studies.
"No duh, Heather. You do this all the time, and you love it." This magical transference had a lasting effect on me: it determined my future career.
My attitude toward technology is not as open as it probably should be. I tend to see technology as somewhat of a distraction in the classroom, but I also understand that it is necessary to make the classroom efficient and relevant. Perhaps technology scares me somewhat because I feel that our society is losing important skills due to virtually universal access to technology. I am excited to learn how to utilize technology when it will be useful and to know when it will merely be a distraction.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
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