Listen to the natives

Sep. 13, 2007

Listen to the Natives

By: Marc Prensky

Overview:

This article talks about the school landscape in the 21^st century. How students are sprinting with new technology and teachers are playing catch-up with one foot in the past. The author states that students/children are no longer “little versions of us” but rather calls students/children in this century “digital natives”. Meaning that they are native speakers of technology and the digital language of computers, video games, and the Internet. He states that as the technology evolves so will the students. The change will be so rapid that we won’t be able to keep up. The author states that we must take our cues from our student’s 21^st century innovations and behaviors, and abandon our own predigital instincts and comfort zones. This means putting engagement before content, and encouraging decision making, involving students in decision making and getting input on how the students would teach class. Teachers don’t need to master all the new technologies, but should do what they do best and that is leading discussions. The author states that students have mastered a large variety of tools that we will never master with the same level of skill. Furthermore, that these tools have become extensions of their brains. The author also states that we should embrace these tools, such as cell phones, rather then outlaw their use in the classroom. The author states that the key to literacy in the 21^st century is likely to be programming. That all students, to some degree, are programmers. The author states that the curriculums of the past are interfering with the curriculums of the future, and we should be making room for 21^st century learning.

Reference points:

1. “Our students, as digital natives, will continue to evolve and change so rapidly that we won’t be able to keep up.”
2. “As 21^st educators, we can no longer decide for our students; we must decide with them, as strange as that may feel to many of us.”
3. ‘The informal, exciting half of kids’ education occurs “after school.”’
4. ‘…the real reason we ban cell phones is that, given the opportunity to use them, students would “vote with their attention,” just as adults “vote with their feet” by leaving the room when a presentation is not compelling.’
5. “All 21^st century kids are programmers to some degree.”
6. “If educators want to have relevance in this century, it is crucial that we find ways to engage students in school.”
7. “Our schools should be teaching kids how to program, filter knowledge, and maximize the features and connectivity of their tools.

Reflection:

I had a little trouble with the article. It was informative and insightful, but some of the ideas that were presented seemed a little too existential for my taste. When he said that students should be able to vote with their attention, I thought that most student might just choose to not pay attention because it is easier to goof off and play a game on their cell phone then to pay attention. I do agree that the tools of the 21^st century are becoming an extension of the owners. It is amazing what a student will do to not loose that part of their person. I also agree that teachers need to make instruction more adaptive to the times. It is a little harder in some subject areas, but it can and should be done. The days of the chalk board are numbered, especially as technology becomes more and more readily available. I don’t know how old Marc is, but I thought that he was a little hash on himself and the people not born of the digital age, although I could see where he was coming from by saying that some teachers still have a foot in the past. The student today needs technology to grow in the 21^st century.