Concepts of Educational Technology allowed me to learn more about myself as a technology immigrant. According to Marc Prensky, “Our students today are all native speakers of the digital language of computers, video games, and the Internet.” (Prensky, Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1, 2001, p. 5) Understanding that students today do not even think the way we, the teaching generation did, is a difficult understanding. I learned that as an educator, we not only have to change our way of teaching, but also our way of thinking. “Some of us, as immigrants, learn better than others, to adapt to our environment, they always retain, to some degree, their accent, that is their foot to the past.” (Prensky, Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1, 2001, p. 3)
When I was growing up, if you were working on your homework, you were at the table with no televisions, radio, or telephones. As a mother to children from a digital world, I had that same rule with my own children. However, I consider myself a digital native, so I definitely feel now that I served my own children an injustice. By not allowing them to have the technology they have always known, I now see this may have hindered instead of helped them. “Digital immigrants don’t believe that their students can learn successfully while watching T.V. or listening to music because they (the immigrants) can’t. ( (Prensky, Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1, 2001, p. 4)
Prensky also says (Prensky, Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1, 2001, p. 4)
“That today’s teachers have to learn to communicate in the
language and style of their students. This doesn’t mean changing
the meaning of what is important, or of good thinking skills. But it does mean going faster, less step-by-step, more in parallel, with more random access, among other things.” (Prensky, Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1, 2001)
Changing my style of teaching is important for my students’ success. As technology is ever changing, so must we be. I learned we cannot teach to this generation, the same we were taught. Along with technology, times have changed.
Having been taught the MLA style of writing throughout my High School and undergraduate career, APA style was something I found to be very difficult. Making the switch meant many nights redoing assignments, reading through my APA text over and over and researching proper techniques and formats. This took a lot of time and patience. I continue to struggle with the APA style, but will continue to revamp my work until the APA guidelines are properly met.
I spent countless hours reading, researching, and learning topics I had never heard of, during this course. I also had to ask for technology help from my work colleagues and my own children, so they could show me to where I would understand, the proper way of working with some of the technology I used during the course. My daughters were shocked at the things I could not figure out, and they just ran right through it. I had to tell them to show me step by step and then I showed them step by step, so I knew I had it right.
Interacting with my course colleagues was not as useful as I had hoped. The course was scattered with information in many different places, making it difficult to maneuver around. I believe everyone was doing exactly what they had to and spending a lot time doing so, so when we did have to comment on each other’s assignments, it was too stressful to worry so much about someone else’s. I personally was afraid to critique someone else, to the point of them changing their assignment, because I wasn’t very sure of myself at times throughout the course. I believe the discussion board time could’ve been better utilized reflecting on each of the readings instead of commenting on everyone else’s quotes that they had found.
Understanding “that our students are no longer little versions of us, as they may have been in the past,” (Prensky, Listen to the natives, 2005, p. 9) helps me to understand that as a learner in today’s world, I have to conform to what is being taught. If I can be a better learner, then I can be a better teacher for my students.
I completely look at my principal in a very different light now. “Expertise develops as the result of reflective skills, the ability to think more deeply about a problem, and the ability to take actions or make adjustments accordingly.” (Martin, 2005, p. 105) Although I don’t know everything that goes on, on a campus, I know there is a lot more happening than just what’s going on within my grade level.
Understanding that what we do is a job, and helping to create a professional environment is an important role for any school leader. Being a novice now, I hope to one day be defined by being able to “apply tacit knowledge, a kind of practical know-how that guides how a leader manages problems on a day to day basis.” (Martin, 2005, p. 105)
References
Martin, G. E. (2005). School Leader Internship (second edition ed.). (U. Communications, Ed.) Larchmont, New York: Eye on Education.
Prensky, M. (2001, September/October). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.
Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 9-13.
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