There is actually no need for me to state this point but I needed to set the backdrop for this post and that is...any experienced teacher will know, in the course of conducting a lesson whether he is actively engaging his students or not...their eyes and body language are so telling.
After reading Prensky's (Part II) article, I felt somewhat 'guilty-conscious' when confronting the Digital Immigrant (DI) teacher/Digital Native (DN) student issue as the author had stated in no uncertain terms that the onus for the type and quality of education received by the DN students lies very much with the DI teachers.
Personally, for myself, the issue is even more daunting as for my secondary school education, I grew up in the era of log books and slide rules to be followed by the advent of the 286 and 386 computers (way before the Pentium series of computers) during my tertiary education days.
Much as I hate to agree with Prensky, the 'still small voice' inside me tells me that there is a need for me to learn the world's new (Digital) language in order to effectively communicate my still-valuable knowledge and wisdom pertaining to the English Language, among other things.
I need to learn how to put computer technology to use in the service of good pedagogy. In particular, I need to learn the technology to test websites, to develop a plan of action for using the Internet, with specific goals in mind and procedures on how to accomplish the tasks and how students will be evaluated for the activity.
Finally, when I am able to guide my DN students on the learning objectives and outcomes for online content and to integrate technology as my new refocussed approach to teaching, then can I proudly proclaim (to myself, of course) that my DN students were not short-changed in their learning.
Please empathise with me as my commendable ordeal has just begun...
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Hi Wilson,
ReplyDeleteI reckon that it is necessary to underline that experienced teachers can tell whether they engage the class or not. The challenge lies in the almost constantly changing character of the learners as a consequence of accelerating changes in the technologized society. It is the reason why this course is very relevant. Like you, I hope to learn how to teach well using technology.
Dear Eula
ReplyDeleteAny person who is serious about his profession will always want to make attempts and to set aside the time to keep himself abreast of the latest changes/updates to his profession as much as possible.
For teachers, there is no exception. Any teacher who is resistant to change and does not want to have anything to do with the IT world should quickly...fade away as they are literally short-changing their DN students.
A gentle reminder here, though, and that is...pedagogy must take priority and IT technology a versatile tool to harness; not the other way round.