Digitally Naive
I feel that people of every generation feel that the next generation is different in most ways, not only in thinking patterns. Music, art, style, foods, etc. are always changing. I, for instance, enjoy punk rock. This style of music is very different ftom the music of my parents. The songs generally last about 60 seconds, are political in nature, and share none of the musical qualities of the bluegrass my father listens to. To say that they learn differently is to say that they are not us. This is not profound or ground-breaking news.
It is foolish to pass judgement on whether or not it is better or worse, but merely different. I did not take the classes that my folks did, nor did the teachers teach it the same. I do, however, agree that the attention span of today’s youth is getting shorter. My attention span is not that of my elders, but neither are my intersts. I can study for hours on topics that they would deem irrelevant. So you say tomatos and I will say potatoes. We do not have to establish a cause to agree that we are not them and vice verse.
If we are to educate the youth of the future we must identify what works for this population and needn’t worry why it is different. Simply look for what works and use those strategies. I never saw a smartboard or an Elmo in my school and would not have cared if I did at the time. We have new technologies emerging daily and must utilize each opportunity to its fullest. The future lies inour hands and we must assert our professional opinions to ensure that the next generation will have the same compassion, trust, and patience that our teachers afforded us. These are the things that do not change in our profession and we must hold tight to them if we are to have any success with our students.
March 8th, 2006 at 8:18 pm
This evening, on the news, a segment dealt with students having free reign of the internet while taking a test. The interviewer as well as some parents felt it wasn’t education, but the teachers were awesome. One of them even made the suggestion that if an employee uses their computer or the internet, they are industrious, but if a student uses one to find information, they are cheating.
I guess new cheating parameters are needed, huh?
The segment ended with there being no research to date to prove the efficacy of using technology in this way. I don’t think so.
If a student is given a chapter to study for a test, some do, most won’t.
If the teacher allows the student to write notes to themselves on an index card and is allowed to use it during the test, the student has digested the material twice. When the student needs the computer for something that wasn’t in his/her notecard, that’s three times for one answer, and just imagine how many times that notecard has been checked by finish line. Its a Learning Focus strategy, and it is research based.
Jason, you are too awesome. I have a geocache tag for you. Get ready.