I think that student’s attention spans are a hybrid of the two extremes discussed. Students of today have an extraordinary ability to multitask but at the same time, with that multitasking comes “no time to focus too much attention on one thing” (2008, p. 8). Today’s student can do many marvelous things all at once, but I would argue that no one of the multi-tasked items is completed quite as well as one singularly focused on. Whether or not students attention spans have become slightly diminished, I think the more important point the article made was in regards to how entirely engaging the use of technology in the classroom was: “students were excited and engaged in the content being presented to them” (p. 9). As teachers, we will be instructing students that have had constant exposure to technology and so we should integrate it into our classes in order to engage our students.
The questions that arise in my mind revolve around to what extent shortened attention spans affect the world we live in. When we watch the news, information is delivered to us in sound bites- news stories packaged into 90 second summaries that will hold our attention but are far from thorough in the explanation of the material they provide. The media is then given extreme power to bias stories in whatever direction they please without the public knowing it. By allowing our information to be abbreviated when it gets to us, we give up the power to discern what fact is and what fiction is.
Marcovitz, D, & Son, J.D. (2008). Is Educational Technology Shortening Student Attention Spans?. International Society for Technology in Education, Retrieved July 31, 2009, from http://webct.cu-portland.edu/webct/urw/lc9140001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct?JSESSIONID=kCrfKzTpvpDGjJ6v8JX9dxKMX1lGzdCyh3H1qJ118zj3nf5btxV6!-544224791!newwebct.cu-portland.edu!80!443.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Taking the Punch Out of Bullying
Cyberbullying is using technology to intimidate, make fun of, or otherwise socially terrorize (bully) another student. It differs from traditional bullying because it employs the use of technology to carry it out. It also diverges from what people think of as bullying because it is typically strictly emotional and not physical. Cyberbullying is not a fight in a school yard or giving someone a swirly to get his lunch money but is the act of demoralizing an individual through words on cell phones, in chat rooms, on social networking sites, through email, and other internet based communication forums. Though I did have some experience with traditional bullying in fifth grade, I have not had experience with cyberbullying. In fact, the term was new to me as of our class discussion. I didn’t realize that bullying has transcended its former vision of playground fights and now can follow students into their homes and onto their phones.
Schools face potential disruptions and issues when it comes to cyberbullying. Schools are to act as the parents in the parent’s absence. Schools are also to provide an atmosphere that promotes learning for students and is safe. The emotional effects of cyberbullying cause an educational disruption and disturbance and are visible as students become depressed, angry, anxious, and suffer from increased absenteeism as a direct result of bullying. Schools are legally responsible for protecting their students, and so free speech may be limited when it detracts from the learning environment. Even though this bullying occurs off of school grounds and after school time, the effects upon the individual are felt at school and so the school needs to intercede on the part of the victim. Teachers should absolutely step in to protect a victim from cyberbullying. The teacher should attempt to obtain as much information as possible from the student, reassuring the student that she is the victim in the situation and it is ok to talk about what is going on because it is not right. Teachers should also report the bullying to the child’s parents and to the school administration so that the bully can be confronted. The downside with cyberbullying is that if a student being bullied won’t talk about it, it is almost impossible to know that it is going on and to protect that child. To raise awareness and potential parental involvement surrounding this issue, it would be advantageous for schools to address cyberbullying (what it is, how to find out, how to stop it) and charge parents with watching for possible cyberbullying of their children at home.
I plan to hopefully preempt cyberbullying in my classroom with a discussion on it. I want students to know that it is not ok to engage in bullying and that if they are being bullied that it is not their fault and that they can talk about it. I also plan to make the clear connection that cyberbullying is congruent with real bullying and is equally offensive. I want to take power away from bullying by having an open discussion about it. I plan to discuss cyberbullying as a group but also address it one on one with students that are potentially being bullied. I will involve much more than my classroom by talking about the topic with parents and administrators. In fact, the more I think about it, the more appropriate a topic it seems to discuss with the PTA and with the school board. The entire community should be involved in eradicating this technological plague of meanness.
Schools face potential disruptions and issues when it comes to cyberbullying. Schools are to act as the parents in the parent’s absence. Schools are also to provide an atmosphere that promotes learning for students and is safe. The emotional effects of cyberbullying cause an educational disruption and disturbance and are visible as students become depressed, angry, anxious, and suffer from increased absenteeism as a direct result of bullying. Schools are legally responsible for protecting their students, and so free speech may be limited when it detracts from the learning environment. Even though this bullying occurs off of school grounds and after school time, the effects upon the individual are felt at school and so the school needs to intercede on the part of the victim. Teachers should absolutely step in to protect a victim from cyberbullying. The teacher should attempt to obtain as much information as possible from the student, reassuring the student that she is the victim in the situation and it is ok to talk about what is going on because it is not right. Teachers should also report the bullying to the child’s parents and to the school administration so that the bully can be confronted. The downside with cyberbullying is that if a student being bullied won’t talk about it, it is almost impossible to know that it is going on and to protect that child. To raise awareness and potential parental involvement surrounding this issue, it would be advantageous for schools to address cyberbullying (what it is, how to find out, how to stop it) and charge parents with watching for possible cyberbullying of their children at home.
I plan to hopefully preempt cyberbullying in my classroom with a discussion on it. I want students to know that it is not ok to engage in bullying and that if they are being bullied that it is not their fault and that they can talk about it. I also plan to make the clear connection that cyberbullying is congruent with real bullying and is equally offensive. I want to take power away from bullying by having an open discussion about it. I plan to discuss cyberbullying as a group but also address it one on one with students that are potentially being bullied. I will involve much more than my classroom by talking about the topic with parents and administrators. In fact, the more I think about it, the more appropriate a topic it seems to discuss with the PTA and with the school board. The entire community should be involved in eradicating this technological plague of meanness.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
CopyWriting Away Education
I think my feelings about copyright law could best be summarized through a haiku I just wrote about them:
Copyright Laws
Make me want to tear out my hair
Their oppression makes me want to scream
The laws make it hard to function
Silly, silly law
After writing such an eloquent poem I might be afraid that the content of my creative efforts would be stolen, but fear not, since I am writing on this blog, my haiku is now copy written. Today I learned how restrictive, and ridiculous, copyright laws are. I learned that if you are showing a movie to a class for educational purposes that it is copyright violation if you have not obtained permission to show it. Previously, I had assumed that as long as you were not profiting from a work or showing it in a large public forum where passerbies could view it, then showing a movie for educational purposes was permissible. I also learned that having students listen to a song in class could also violate copyright law. Basically, copyright law limits me showing anything to a class in its entirety unless I made it myself. I guess that means I need to be more creative.
I believe that certain aspects of copyright law, as they are written today, are fair. The requirement that an author be paid when someone is profiting from his work is very good and right. Unfairness results when items may not be easily used for educational purposes. Though there is greater protection for educators in their use of various materials, it still brings additional stress to teaching since I now must also be concerned with violating copyright law on top of all my teaching responsibilities. I think that the law should protect work when an individual is attempting to profit from it, but that the work should remain open in the public domain otherwise. Further, I think it is absolutely ridiculous how long copyrights last. The fact that a written work can be covered by copyright law for SEVENTY years after the author is deceased wrong. That would mean that the work could be out of the public domain for around 7 generations and that is just too long.
To make sure I am complying with the fair use act, I need to make sure that the school I work at has copyright permission for the resources I am using. Also, by sticking to mainly items produced by the government, I can rest assured that the items are in the public domain and that I am not required to obtain copyright permission in order to use them. Further, in my classroom I will probably spend a nominal amount of time discussing copyright law and the importance of it so that students are aware of how to use resources appropriately. I will give them general guidelines for using copy written material so that they are protected when they use others’ work later in life.
Copyright Laws
Make me want to tear out my hair
Their oppression makes me want to scream
The laws make it hard to function
Silly, silly law
After writing such an eloquent poem I might be afraid that the content of my creative efforts would be stolen, but fear not, since I am writing on this blog, my haiku is now copy written. Today I learned how restrictive, and ridiculous, copyright laws are. I learned that if you are showing a movie to a class for educational purposes that it is copyright violation if you have not obtained permission to show it. Previously, I had assumed that as long as you were not profiting from a work or showing it in a large public forum where passerbies could view it, then showing a movie for educational purposes was permissible. I also learned that having students listen to a song in class could also violate copyright law. Basically, copyright law limits me showing anything to a class in its entirety unless I made it myself. I guess that means I need to be more creative.
I believe that certain aspects of copyright law, as they are written today, are fair. The requirement that an author be paid when someone is profiting from his work is very good and right. Unfairness results when items may not be easily used for educational purposes. Though there is greater protection for educators in their use of various materials, it still brings additional stress to teaching since I now must also be concerned with violating copyright law on top of all my teaching responsibilities. I think that the law should protect work when an individual is attempting to profit from it, but that the work should remain open in the public domain otherwise. Further, I think it is absolutely ridiculous how long copyrights last. The fact that a written work can be covered by copyright law for SEVENTY years after the author is deceased wrong. That would mean that the work could be out of the public domain for around 7 generations and that is just too long.
To make sure I am complying with the fair use act, I need to make sure that the school I work at has copyright permission for the resources I am using. Also, by sticking to mainly items produced by the government, I can rest assured that the items are in the public domain and that I am not required to obtain copyright permission in order to use them. Further, in my classroom I will probably spend a nominal amount of time discussing copyright law and the importance of it so that students are aware of how to use resources appropriately. I will give them general guidelines for using copy written material so that they are protected when they use others’ work later in life.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Wiki Knowledge In the Classroom
Wiki is the lifeblood for my research. I often consult it to gain a general understanding of a topic and to learn more about trivial information and pop culture. For example, when I wanted to know if Laura Bush was really a librarian after watching the film W, I went to Wikipedia for the answer. It is always the starting place for my research on a new topic. Typically, I am able to gain enough general knowledge to conduct thorough research after gaining a Wiki understanding of the overarching concepts and terminology for a given topic. I also find that Wikipedia is excellent for consulting the reference materials listed as the basis/at the end of each article. The books/resources that Wikipedia suggests often lead to more complete resources and material lists.
As a teacher I would not allow Wikipedia as a cited piece of research. I would encourage my students to use Wiki as a source of gaining basic knowledge, but it is in no means scholarly nor is it thoroughly peer reviewed. Students are functioning in an academic environment and need to use academic materials for their research like books, journal articles, and original source or government documents. Doug Johnson in his article, Wikipedia: Ban It or Boost It, would disagree with me on this point. Mr. Johnson writes that Wikipedia is an important research tool because it catalogs information that is more up-to-date than print information. While I agree with Mr. Johnson that this is probably the case, I would argue that the appeal of scholarly material is that it does not change with whim. Topics that have been thoughtfully studied over time and synthesized into the material that is published in a journal are more reliable. Often time’s, information disseminated with immediacy is prone to errors, misunderstandings, and faulty fact checking.
My policy surrounding Internet research would be that for every two Internet sources used, at least one print source must also be included with a minimum of ten sources total for a research report. Good, thorough researching is a time consuming, thought provoking effort. The more comprehensive the research is in its early stages, the more likely the student will gain the knowledge to think critically and analyze a topic in depth. The point of the research is to make an individual an expert in a given subject area, and while Wikipedia is an excellent place to start this process, it falls short of being all-inclusive.
On A Wiki Anecdotal Note: My husband and I often jokingly refer to Wikipedia as “the source of all knowledge.” For instance, his younger brother might say that he is curious about a topic and so I will tell him to “check Wikipedia- it’s the source of all knowledge.” This first started out as a family joke because we would often tell his little brothers various stories and then get on Wikipedia and edit the entries before they looked them up so that the facts were consistent with what we had said. The sad reality of our pranks came about when his little brothers really began to regard each piece of Wiki info as absolute truth. I now realize that the younger generation does not know how to discern fact from fiction and Wiki from Britannica.
Johnson, D. “Wikipedia: Ban It or Boost It?” Learning and Leading with Technology. (October 2006). Pp. 26-27.
As a teacher I would not allow Wikipedia as a cited piece of research. I would encourage my students to use Wiki as a source of gaining basic knowledge, but it is in no means scholarly nor is it thoroughly peer reviewed. Students are functioning in an academic environment and need to use academic materials for their research like books, journal articles, and original source or government documents. Doug Johnson in his article, Wikipedia: Ban It or Boost It, would disagree with me on this point. Mr. Johnson writes that Wikipedia is an important research tool because it catalogs information that is more up-to-date than print information. While I agree with Mr. Johnson that this is probably the case, I would argue that the appeal of scholarly material is that it does not change with whim. Topics that have been thoughtfully studied over time and synthesized into the material that is published in a journal are more reliable. Often time’s, information disseminated with immediacy is prone to errors, misunderstandings, and faulty fact checking.
My policy surrounding Internet research would be that for every two Internet sources used, at least one print source must also be included with a minimum of ten sources total for a research report. Good, thorough researching is a time consuming, thought provoking effort. The more comprehensive the research is in its early stages, the more likely the student will gain the knowledge to think critically and analyze a topic in depth. The point of the research is to make an individual an expert in a given subject area, and while Wikipedia is an excellent place to start this process, it falls short of being all-inclusive.
On A Wiki Anecdotal Note: My husband and I often jokingly refer to Wikipedia as “the source of all knowledge.” For instance, his younger brother might say that he is curious about a topic and so I will tell him to “check Wikipedia- it’s the source of all knowledge.” This first started out as a family joke because we would often tell his little brothers various stories and then get on Wikipedia and edit the entries before they looked them up so that the facts were consistent with what we had said. The sad reality of our pranks came about when his little brothers really began to regard each piece of Wiki info as absolute truth. I now realize that the younger generation does not know how to discern fact from fiction and Wiki from Britannica.
Johnson, D. “Wikipedia: Ban It or Boost It?” Learning and Leading with Technology. (October 2006). Pp. 26-27.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Blogs in the Classroom
I think that blogs should absolutely be used in the classroom. Many students in our classes will have their own blogs, and almost all will be familiar with the technology involved. The use of blogs is an attempt to connect with our students through a discourse that they will value and understand. Blogs may address classroom ideas or procedures in a non-threatening way that students feel comfortable with. This said, blogs obviously need certain ground rules.
A blog should never make someone feel uncomfortable. Language and content should be appropriate always for students and parents to view. Ground rules need to be placed upfront so that students know the high expectation a teacher has for the blog’s use from the students. If the students do not use the blog properly, comments may need to be approved before posting them- though unfortunately this diminishes the immediate efficacy of the blog and makes it more difficult for students to use the blog as a means for helping other another.
A blog can also help communicate classroom goals to a student’s parents. The blog is an easy means of communication between parents and the instructor. The instructor can be sure that the parents are actually receiving the information he/she is sending home for them to read. Parents can ask questions, make comments, and voice concerns on a blog. They can also retrieve and follow which assignments their students should be completing at home.
Blogs can be used in the classroom in a variety of wonderful ways. They can serve as class resource available for home use. The blogs may have the syllabus and appropriate due dates along with detailed instructions for assignments so that students are able to access them at all times of the day and review information that they may have forgotten from class. The blogs may have calendars with class activities listed so that students can see the material that they missed during an absence. Blogs can also be a safe means of communication between teachers and students and between students and their peers. Teachers can communicate in the public domain with a student about a question without having to give the student any sort of personal information (email, phone number, etc). The students can also answer one another’s questions on the blog. The blog could also be a tool for use in the learning process. Student work can be posted or displayed for accolades, perhaps selecting one excellent example from the previous week to go on the blog. Students can also contribute articles to the blog.
A blog should never make someone feel uncomfortable. Language and content should be appropriate always for students and parents to view. Ground rules need to be placed upfront so that students know the high expectation a teacher has for the blog’s use from the students. If the students do not use the blog properly, comments may need to be approved before posting them- though unfortunately this diminishes the immediate efficacy of the blog and makes it more difficult for students to use the blog as a means for helping other another.
A blog can also help communicate classroom goals to a student’s parents. The blog is an easy means of communication between parents and the instructor. The instructor can be sure that the parents are actually receiving the information he/she is sending home for them to read. Parents can ask questions, make comments, and voice concerns on a blog. They can also retrieve and follow which assignments their students should be completing at home.
Blogs can be used in the classroom in a variety of wonderful ways. They can serve as class resource available for home use. The blogs may have the syllabus and appropriate due dates along with detailed instructions for assignments so that students are able to access them at all times of the day and review information that they may have forgotten from class. The blogs may have calendars with class activities listed so that students can see the material that they missed during an absence. Blogs can also be a safe means of communication between teachers and students and between students and their peers. Teachers can communicate in the public domain with a student about a question without having to give the student any sort of personal information (email, phone number, etc). The students can also answer one another’s questions on the blog. The blog could also be a tool for use in the learning process. Student work can be posted or displayed for accolades, perhaps selecting one excellent example from the previous week to go on the blog. Students can also contribute articles to the blog.
Social Networking and Me
After attempting to find myself via Google and Pipl, I discovered that I am an enigma. It is not that there is no information out there about me, but rather that references to me are vastly overshadowed by the former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. After browsing through TWENTY pages of Google hits, I only found one hit related to me: my linked-in profile. On the other hand, when I attempted to search the handles I had used growing up; I did find my profile on a corporate website that I subsequently removed.
The site that may have been unbecoming to me as a teacher was the one that I changed after I found based upon searching for my handle. It was a personal profile on the t-shirt company Threadless (www.threadless.com ). I found it rather unbecoming because in the about me section I complained about the city that I went to college in and how I was ready to be done so I could “get away” it. It didn’t say anything bad, but just portrayed me in a way that I wouldn’t necessarily want to be viewed. Further, I was concerned that some of the t-shirt designs portray content that is unprofessional so I ultimately removed my membership from the site.
I absolutely think that teachers should be held to community standards in their personal lives. They are an example to their students and are responsible for imparting good character on children. A teacher known for being a “party girl” does not emulate the traits that most parents want promoted to their children. A teacher’s speech is a further reflection of their character and if it is unbecoming of a role model, it is certainly inappropriate.
The most interesting fact that I read about in the social networking article was that some districts strongly discourage educators from even having facebook pages. I use mine so frequently to keep up with my friends from high school and college and I cannot imagine not having one. At the same time I certainly agree with the caveat that districts add that if teachers do have them, they should not be friends with their students through the social networking tools. Being “internet friends” with a student blurs the distinction between appropriate student/teacher relationships too much,
To protect myself and my job I will continue to seek out the information about me on the internet. I have already made sure that any picture that could in any way be misconstrued to seem inappropriate has been removed. I don’t want to be committed through association even though my record is clear and my actions moral.
The site that may have been unbecoming to me as a teacher was the one that I changed after I found based upon searching for my handle. It was a personal profile on the t-shirt company Threadless (www.threadless.com ). I found it rather unbecoming because in the about me section I complained about the city that I went to college in and how I was ready to be done so I could “get away” it. It didn’t say anything bad, but just portrayed me in a way that I wouldn’t necessarily want to be viewed. Further, I was concerned that some of the t-shirt designs portray content that is unprofessional so I ultimately removed my membership from the site.
I absolutely think that teachers should be held to community standards in their personal lives. They are an example to their students and are responsible for imparting good character on children. A teacher known for being a “party girl” does not emulate the traits that most parents want promoted to their children. A teacher’s speech is a further reflection of their character and if it is unbecoming of a role model, it is certainly inappropriate.
The most interesting fact that I read about in the social networking article was that some districts strongly discourage educators from even having facebook pages. I use mine so frequently to keep up with my friends from high school and college and I cannot imagine not having one. At the same time I certainly agree with the caveat that districts add that if teachers do have them, they should not be friends with their students through the social networking tools. Being “internet friends” with a student blurs the distinction between appropriate student/teacher relationships too much,
To protect myself and my job I will continue to seek out the information about me on the internet. I have already made sure that any picture that could in any way be misconstrued to seem inappropriate has been removed. I don’t want to be committed through association even though my record is clear and my actions moral.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
View from a Digital Native
“Today’s students – K through college – represent the first generations to grow up with this new technology. They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age.”
-Marc Prensky,
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
I am a digital native. In first grade, I learned social studies by using the Oregon Trail, spelling with capcom’s “Spell-a-saurus,” and math with “Mathblaster.” I was typing most of my homework on a computer by fourth grade and conducting internet research for reports by fifth grade. I spent three hours a night under the supervision of sonic the hedgehog after completing my homework during an IM session while listening to Ace of Base. I can even remember my dad’s ‘laptop’ as child—it was the size of a carry-on suitcase and was only capable of word processing or allowing users to play the game “beast.” I cannot think of a time when school work didn’t involve computers or when weekend fun was devoid of video games. Though technology continues to change over time and through advancement, I never worry that it will surpass my understanding or leave me out of touch because I am a digital native and just like the technology I use, I will adapt.
My own self-philosophy of technological adaptation was challenged when I went to college. Suddenly, a teacher who didn’t even know how to set-up a wireless router or use a thumb drive was telling me that my researching technique of “googling’ a topic was insufficient. As I am sure many students of my generation felt when their digital alien teachers told them that most modern technology lead to poor research, I was frustrated. My teachers were requiring a different type of thinking than I even thought myself capable of as a digital native, in fact “Linear thought processes that dominate educational systems now can actually retard learning for brains developed through game and Web-surfing processes on the computer” (Prensky 2001). Trying to adapt my lifetime of informal research into scholarly, structured techniques posed a unique challenge. Luckily, with my n-generation brain, full of plasticity, I was able to find a hybrid of traditional research—using scholarly material but through my n-gen mediums of podcasts and online resources.
The great importance of my experience, and the frustration that I experienced as a college student from the demand for out-dated inquiry, is in how my frustration can make me a better teacher. “Engage Me or Enrage Me” by Marc Prensky discussed how students of the digital age have short attention spans and become easily frustrated with the non-engaging type of teaching styles many teachers today often employ. As a digital native, I can take my experience with technology and consider how I think and how my younger brother-in-laws process information and develop fun and inventive teaching methods to differentiate instruction and accommodate different types of learners. I can easily integrate technology into the classroom. I can have students sign up of tweets of their homework assignments so that I can remind them daily of what’s due and what is coming up. I can have a class website with a digital drop box to submit homework. I can develop a class blog for writing assignments which will provide students the ability to easily peer review one another’s work and to see examples of how their classmates have completed assignments. I can use interactive PowerPoint timelines that allow students to study at their own pace and watch imbedded images that go along with their course content. I can use my empathy for feeling misunderstood as a learner to fashion a better experience my students than I had.
I am a digital native. I know that “all the students we teach have something in their lives that’s really engaging—something that they do and that they are good at, something that has an engaging, creative component to it” (Prensky 2005). I have grown up with technology. It has molded my thought process. I understand the plight of the technologically misunderstood student and now it is my turn to bring about the change in learning that student’s brains’ require. I am a digital native hardwired to teach my digital students.
Prensky, M. “Do They Really Think Differently.” On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 6, December 2001)
Prensky, M. “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.’ On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001)
Prensky, M. “Engage Me or Enrage Me.” Educause review. (September 2005).
-Marc Prensky,
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
I am a digital native. In first grade, I learned social studies by using the Oregon Trail, spelling with capcom’s “Spell-a-saurus,” and math with “Mathblaster.” I was typing most of my homework on a computer by fourth grade and conducting internet research for reports by fifth grade. I spent three hours a night under the supervision of sonic the hedgehog after completing my homework during an IM session while listening to Ace of Base. I can even remember my dad’s ‘laptop’ as child—it was the size of a carry-on suitcase and was only capable of word processing or allowing users to play the game “beast.” I cannot think of a time when school work didn’t involve computers or when weekend fun was devoid of video games. Though technology continues to change over time and through advancement, I never worry that it will surpass my understanding or leave me out of touch because I am a digital native and just like the technology I use, I will adapt.
My own self-philosophy of technological adaptation was challenged when I went to college. Suddenly, a teacher who didn’t even know how to set-up a wireless router or use a thumb drive was telling me that my researching technique of “googling’ a topic was insufficient. As I am sure many students of my generation felt when their digital alien teachers told them that most modern technology lead to poor research, I was frustrated. My teachers were requiring a different type of thinking than I even thought myself capable of as a digital native, in fact “Linear thought processes that dominate educational systems now can actually retard learning for brains developed through game and Web-surfing processes on the computer” (Prensky 2001). Trying to adapt my lifetime of informal research into scholarly, structured techniques posed a unique challenge. Luckily, with my n-generation brain, full of plasticity, I was able to find a hybrid of traditional research—using scholarly material but through my n-gen mediums of podcasts and online resources.
The great importance of my experience, and the frustration that I experienced as a college student from the demand for out-dated inquiry, is in how my frustration can make me a better teacher. “Engage Me or Enrage Me” by Marc Prensky discussed how students of the digital age have short attention spans and become easily frustrated with the non-engaging type of teaching styles many teachers today often employ. As a digital native, I can take my experience with technology and consider how I think and how my younger brother-in-laws process information and develop fun and inventive teaching methods to differentiate instruction and accommodate different types of learners. I can easily integrate technology into the classroom. I can have students sign up of tweets of their homework assignments so that I can remind them daily of what’s due and what is coming up. I can have a class website with a digital drop box to submit homework. I can develop a class blog for writing assignments which will provide students the ability to easily peer review one another’s work and to see examples of how their classmates have completed assignments. I can use interactive PowerPoint timelines that allow students to study at their own pace and watch imbedded images that go along with their course content. I can use my empathy for feeling misunderstood as a learner to fashion a better experience my students than I had.
I am a digital native. I know that “all the students we teach have something in their lives that’s really engaging—something that they do and that they are good at, something that has an engaging, creative component to it” (Prensky 2005). I have grown up with technology. It has molded my thought process. I understand the plight of the technologically misunderstood student and now it is my turn to bring about the change in learning that student’s brains’ require. I am a digital native hardwired to teach my digital students.
Prensky, M. “Do They Really Think Differently.” On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 6, December 2001)
Prensky, M. “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.’ On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001)
Prensky, M. “Engage Me or Enrage Me.” Educause review. (September 2005).
First Post!
My name is Jacqueline Kennedy (but you can call me Jackie).
I plan on teaching High School Social Studies.
My favorite animal is my pup Fitzgerald.
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