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Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
By Marc Prensky
Is our education system failing us? Do we need to spend more money on education? Or have we failed to evolve our system to match the needs our today’s student? Let’s continue the digital immigrant metaphor. Can you really blame a immigrant for not being able to adjust into a new culture quickly? The life they grew up with and identified with is not the norm in the new culture they live it. The language is very different, the natives seem to all understand each other so well, but they speak all these strange words that the immigrant doesn’t have any background knowledge in. With so many new words, phrases, and processes, the immigrant might feel inclined to give up at the enormity of the task of acclimating themselves. The immigrants who grew up in the culture and language can function without even processing on what is going on around them. But although they are fluent in the language, its quite another thing to try and explain it to an immigrant. I believe anyone who has tried to explain grammar to a non-native English speaker understands that challenge.
Since our children are growing up surrounded by TV, video games, Internet, and smart phones, they have spent fewer and fewer hours reading actual books. All this technology that surrounds them are a given or the reality. While many of adults might marvel at the power and potential of technology, our children know nothing else. Studies suggest that the brains of the “digital natives” actually work differently than the “immigrants.” Most teachers today are still immigrants, and often struggle to adapt the teaching techniques to work for the today’s students. Many teachers may go so far as projecting the idea or even “believe learning can’t or shouldn’t be fun.” (Prensky, 2001, p.3) There should be a step by step, methodical process humans should go through to learn the necessary skills for life. Afterall, isn’t that how most people have learned for generations? “But that assumption is no longer valid. Today's learners are different.” It appears that their brains are actually different. (Prensky, 2001, p.3) Students today no longer naturally focus on one thing until they complete it. The “digital natives” brain parallel processes and multi-tasks. The author believes it key that teachers do our best to understand our students and how they can learn best.
We as educators need to be much more proactive in adjusting our methodology that considers parallel thinking and random access. Though education may take on a different appearance, it doesn’t me replace what is important for our students to learn. Prensky suggests that we use our “digital natives” to actually guide us into creating new methodologies for all subjects in order to best teach in ways that our students can learn through. “Its dumb and lazy of educators to presume that digital natives must learn the way the digital immigrants learned, not to mention ineffectual” (Prensky, 2001, p.6)
References
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. S.l.: Marc Prensky.
Great cartoons! They pretty much sum up the article by Prensky! I like the idea of using the digital natives in guiding us into creating new methodologies for all subjects....then we are all learning, contributing, and collaborating together!
ReplyDeleteJeremy, agreed, that cartoon is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteWe are in a serious division of old and new ways of thinking, I think this is only natural that it would be happen. The most grave is when teachers, as you've mentioned, are too lazy to make the changes and fall back into routine. To be an effective educator, we've got to know our material and know our audience. The most important part is that the students are learning!