Sunday, January 25, 2015

Digital Resources for training and learning

Teaching and Learning-Digital Natives


The area my school is in is quite transient, all students qualify for free lunch, and poverty is a theme for almost all of them. Many do not have computers at home, and depend on smartphones. Many students have these or access to their parents smart phones.Yes, they do want instant gratification and rewards. They expect their technology to be instantaneous. If it doesn't power up immediately, they begin to frantically push buttons repetitively (our PC lab is pretty outdated, running XP). However, they don't know how to efficiently use a keyboard (tab vs. moving the mouse and clicking in each box, the number keyboard and num lock, hunting and pecking, searching efficiently, etc). They don't respect the technology ( I have seen them bring in devices with cracked screens). What they do well is searching for images for words and vocabulary they don't know, prefer Tumblebooks online over real books, avoid reading and would rather see it on YouTube, and click through tutorials without watching. Many of my students want to avoid reading at all costs. 
The author suggests using video games for learning. I've done this, in fact I have several games for each topic in math. Our curriculum is largely based on technology and we have few textbooks. Herein lies the problem: engaging games they enjoy. I have games related to each concept. From a kid's POV, some are not so exciting. They use a game for long division. However it's not as fun as the multiplication games where they race other students in the class, getting a turbo blast each time they get the problem correct. The long Division games are basically the paper/pencil version, except it gives them prompts to remember each step. Boring, not engaging to them.As Prensky illustrates in the article, Digital Natives grew up learning from TV and games, thus their natural inclination towards youtube. They have parents who can't do long division, who tell their kids to look up a tutorial, hence their predisposition towards YouTube.
One thing I have noticed is they don't test well using technology versus traditional testing. I use a program for math online testing where they don't have to show their work and they almost always fail. I then give them a paper test, with the instructions to show their work, to retest their wrong problems. They then do great. I think it is just too easy to click through the test if you don't have to show your work. Some students have claimed the paper test is easier, even though they are the exact same problems.
I use a complete curriculum online for reading and math. It has many features, it calculates data, students can watch an animation, they can track their own progress. The book reads to them. In class, I called to all to the Promethean board and we all read as a group. They don't like working in partners or independently for reading, because they have to actually read the whole thing without direction. As a group at the board, they have guidance. It's no wonder they hate reading, every game and book has a YouTube video or a read aloud. They did not grow up needing to read to get information. My students lack the prior knowledge you would expect to see in 4th and 5th grade. They don't make connections or think about things in a common sense kind of way. Perhaps because they do not have the life experiences that children 20 and 30 years ago always had.
I do see connections with Prensky's article and my own students. McKenzie's article mostly focused on critiquing Prensky and the lack of scientific evidence. I get that, however, I didn't really glean any new information regarding Digital Natives.
I do agree student behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs have changed. We were just talking about this in a meeting. It seems students from all social status and demographics have seem to shift towards this "No, I can't" attitude. It seems they have more power than ever and believe certain aspects of school are optional when they are not. Perhaps due to a shift in parenting where kids are so overprotecting and shielded from difficult decisions that they cannot cope? Reeves discusses this "generational transition" and is quite relevant to today's students.



10 comments:

  1. You have some interesting observations. I see some valid concerns in how parents use technology with their students/children as one of the highest points of student success is the level of interactions that students have with their teacher/parents. I would be careful to say they don't respect technology- I think they do. Sometimes a cracked screen is not abuse but must loved and used or that is all that mom and dad can afford.

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  2. The respect issue is probably more SES-dependent; the difference between making something last even when broke vs. a general throw-away consumerism mentality that seems to be more prevalent in today's society.

    The testing observation is interesting, given the push toward all of the SBAC/PARCC testing mandated by NCLB and RTTT, as adaptive-style testing is done electronically.

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  3. I would like to note that some subjects are more effective face-to-face rather than computer base. I would like to make a suggestion that the students put together a power point presentation about a topic. I can understand the frustration with using outdated programs, but I would also develop some project base assignments that can also include traditional writing and technology. Start small. Games are good for entertainment, but the world the kids live in today is truly more high tech no matter what their socioeconomic status. We're all responsible for making our students leaders of tomorrow.

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    1. Funcone, what a fantastic idea about the powerpoint. I will apply this one.

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    2. Yes, I have used this. I had my students use Prezi or google slides to do a presentation on The Bridge To Terabithia. I had to teach them how to do it, and some did a beautiful job, which I posted to our classroom website.

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  4. I can see how you have concerns with students. The point about instantaneous reminds me of my father. He always seems to lack patients with technology. The multiplication math games seems as if it would be pretty fun. I agree with your point about kids being overprotected by some parents. I see this often when teaching sex education in my health class. I have had parent remove students from the entire unit because they do not want them discussing anything

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    1. I had to do an HIV unit according to the Michigan Model,no one removed their child, most parents did not read the letter I sent home. It was awkward because many are Hispanic and did not know the vocabulary and asked me to explain what the words meant....some were very uncomfortable.

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  5. Hi Karen, I understand the transient issue. It is bigger than people think or are aware of in schools. Last semester, at the end of one of the class sessions we had parents come in an look at some of the projects. One girl had not finished her project. I asked her if she would like to take home some supplies to finish over the weekend and bring her project back. One of the parents laughed out loud and said who does not have these materials at home. I felt bad for the child, I knew she did not have the materials at home. Some people have no idea. The parent who said this was a new immigrant woman, who just expected that in America everyone has everything they need. The young girl did not want to take any materials home after that hearing that comment. Her parents were working and were not able to attend the class that day.

    Parents will spend money on technology to keep their kids from being left behind. So they share the smart phones and technology gets abused. Parents are at a loss to teach their kids the proper use of technology.

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  6. Thank you, I have also seen this scenario many times. Some of this kids have 3 devices, the latest and greatest, and almost always cracked or not taken care of. I have to remind them, be careful letting people borrow.....they won't be able to replace....

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  7. Thank you, I have also seen this scenario many times. Some of this kids have 3 devices, the latest and greatest, and almost always cracked or not taken care of. I have to remind them, be careful letting people borrow.....they won't be able to replace....

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