The late 20th-21st century singularity that makes today's K-college students fundamentally different from those the educational system was designed to teach; digital technology.
"...our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language."
To start off, I loved this reading! Even though I can't relate to this point the author makes directly from an educator's perspective, I can say that I find that, as a student, it is easier to learn (and much more fascinating and engaging) when professors incorporate digital media into their classroom (and further discussions outside the classroom through Blogger, Wiki spaces, and other interactive online websites) as part of lessons and interaction between students themselves and student/teacher. This interactive co facilitation among students and teachers encourages further expansion of ideas brought up in class, helps those students who are less likely to verbalize their ideas feel comfortable communicating, and really seems to bring the learning atmosphere to life. This is the new age of learning. The professors who are still doing straight lectures (and even straight powerpoints at this stage of the game) are not going to engage their digital age students like they could if they were using some of these more advanced modes of communication , and, in turn, students suffer because they are bored, leading to less retention of material in a meaningful and applied way. Students' attention spans are growing shorter because technology is so instant now. They are not used to waiting or being patient anymore. They want their information now, and don't want to waste any time. They connect to a learning environment that incorporates digital media because it parallels what they are comfortable with. Students need to be constantly challenged with multiple tasks and educated in a multitude of ways to stay engrossed in the lesson at hand.
We live in a society of NOW.
A society that wants it faasteer...
A society that wants to communicate instant message style
It won't settle for snail mail or dial up ever again
it demands the NEWest... the best
It demands wireless and automatic everything
Everyone walks around plugged in
Disconnected from the world surrounding them...
or are they?
-> I understood all of the points the author was making. He was clear and concise, and explained himself well if he thought his idea or vocabulary could be confusing. His writing seemed to be addressed directly to the teenagers who were at the forefront of the digital age, and who seem to be the most impacted by the educational system that is designed for pre-digital age learning.
->This text is an excellent follow up to Thomas Hines. This text serves to show that teenagers are.. I love how Prensky refers to being knowledgeable in digital technology as a language, and that this language is not native to those "immigrants" who have not grown up with it, thus causing conflict. I would like to talk more about this language in class.
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