21st Century Learners Activity

From the getgo, I found Prensky's argument flawed. Whilst I don't disagree with the notion that children today are faced with technologies that didn't exist in earlier generations, I think Prensky and his contempoaries have under estimated the power of social interaction with adults and their peers. I belived it is narrow minded to assume that all children are ICT focussed in the classroom. I think there is a big difference in learning about, say reptiles, through visiting a zoo or such like, than googling reptiles and understanding their nutritional requiements, habibtats and mating rituals. ICT don't stimulate all a childs senses, which is an intergral part of learning, and may not provide the same sense of wonder and discovery other learning experiences can.

That is not to say that Prensky doen't make some valid points. It would be counter active to not include ICT's in the classroom as children will obviously have some sort of interest in them. Using ICT's in everyday life is evident every where we go. Think of mobiles, ipods, notebooks, kendalls, digital cameras, small screen entertainment. It is sensible to use these technologies in class. However to assume that every child can only learn using these things and through its unique lingo is dangerouly narrow minded. Empirical evidence put forth by Margaryan and Littlejohn and Thrupp show that students use a limited range of technologies for learning and socialising, and only to utilise the most basic functions on offer (see readings). Margayan and Littlejohn's research concludes that there is no solid evidence to support that students are adopting radically differnt patterns of knowledge creation and sharing. They further suppose that students are heaviliy influenced by the teachers methodologies of pedagogy, confirming the use of traditional pedagogies with the minor use of technological tools. Thrupp argues that ICT's will only increase the diversity of the learners in the classroom. He claims that it is the teachers role to construct a learning environment which easy to recognise as such and to ensure the learners feel comfortable to learn. He further claims that it is social groups to be the driving force behing students interest in ICTs and interestingly, the level of interest or involvement of the student in ICTs, and not the opposite.

I think Prensky argument of 'engage or enrage' is not a new phenonmenon. Teachers have always be searching/planning for new ways to engage their learners. True the gadgets are now infiltrating into learning environments, but the same premise still exists. How to get your learners interested in learning. I think a balanced approach to this issue would be best practice, and as a student learning the art of teaching I will be choosing practices and princilpe that reflect my attitude towards learning; keep it fun. Whether or not this approach will work, I'm not sure. Will tell you after prac.