Web 2.0 Reflection

When I first read the title of Prensky’s article, Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, I thought that I would be a digital immigrant because honestly, I don’t know much about technology beyond the computer. However, after reading the article and realizing what Prensky meant, I know that I am a digital native because I have grown up around technology and have used it since I started school. With that being said, like I mentioned before, I am not a technology guru and have a lot to learn myself.

It was interesting to watch the videos and then see the fact in Prensky’s article about the amount of time college students today spend on the Internet. It is almost unreal to think that a college student has spent twice as much time playing video games as he or she has spent reading. That alone can show how generations have changed. Prensky mentions that thinking patterns of today’s students  have changed and obviously spending that much time with video games, not to mention other sources of technology, will definitely affect a way a student thinks.

As a teacher, I want what is best for my students. I want them to succeed in my classroom and then as a contributing citizen to the world. With that being said, I realize that technology will be a huge factor (as it already is) in their lives. Prensky presents the question that I have, “How do we teach logic in this (meaning random, faster, less step-by-step) fashion?” If I’m honest with myself, it is hard for me to imagine teaching my students using video games and other methods like that simply because of the time and effort it would take to create a classroom like that (if someone wants to create it for me, I’ll happily teach it!). I just don’t feel confident enough in my own abilities in this area to effectively teach my students. I’m not saying this is the right attitude, but it is my current attitude. My classroom will be getting a Smartboard soon and that alone is exciting and nerve racking to me because I need to learn how to use it! I do use technology that I have available to me (computers, Internet, projectors) and am excited to incorporate more as I gain the necessary skills to teach it.  

I know there are times that I fall into the thinking, that the education I received growing up was a lot of paper/pencil and book reading. I feel like I received a quality education and therefore I think, what is wrong with that? Again, this is cheating my students and their new ways of thinking and perhaps I’m doing a disservice to my students. Then, I think that as they continue their education, will all their teachers have a shift in thinking and teach in this “new” way and if not, how will they cope? My own thoughts and mind must begin to change regardless if other educators do or not. After all, my job is to help my students, not help myself.