Cell Phones and Google and Wiki, Oh My!

We've all heard our grandparents and parents say it: "Back in my day..." and it it usually followed by an explanation of some task that took much more grit and pure strength than the same task would require us young folk to exert. But really, is it easier for us that grew up with technology than it was for past generations? Marc Prensky would most likely call me a "Digital Native," being that I grew up with technology such as video games, computers and the internet, and my grandparents would be "Digital Immigrants," having not grown up with as much technology. While I might not have to go to a library to gather information on my research papers, I most definitely have to use good judgment and fact checking intuition before I trust my "www" resources. Prensky writes in his essay "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" (2001) that "we can say with certainty that [students'] thinking patterns have changed" as a result of the digital world. He goes on to explain that "Digital Immigrants don't believe their students can learn successfully while watching TV or listening to music, because they (the Immigrants) can't." Well stated, Prensky. The old cliché "my way or the highway" is more irrelevant now than it has been in quite some time.

Growing up on the cusp of a technology boom made my high school experience almost frustrating. I was in high school 1999 - 2003, literally in the explosion of cell phones and comprehensive online resources. Families across America began purchasing home computers in the late 80's and early 90's, so by the time I was in my formative early teens, most people I knew owned a computer. The gap between my peers and teachers was astonishing. We had classes in high school that were taught by the librarian and were supposed to show us how to use search engines and online encyclopedias. Yawn. This was very step-by-step instruction that I believe was lost on most of us - especially since many of us had figured it out on our own time using trial and error. Pransky believes the best way to teach the Digital Natives is by "going faster, less step-by step, more in parallel, with more random access" - I agree. Teachers need to stop boring their students because they feel they need to fit in every single step of a lesson and instead, go about it in such a way that makes sense to their skill level and learning style.

I had a college professor tell me that professors are not teachers; they are instructors who show us how to find the information we need to know. Prensky would have liked this particular professor very much since they both agreed that students learn better when essentially left to their own devices. I think I may be joining them in their figurative Independent Learning Club. I enjoyed being given the tools I needed to learn and the opportunity to supplement that learning on my own. As a Digital Native, I could easily complete any assignment without my professor holding my hand each step of the way. I think one of the best ways to learn is through accountability - not only does completing an assignment feel more like an accomplishment, but the selfesteem boost for a good grade on something I did almost entirely by myself is one of the most rewarding feelings I have experienced. "Yeah, that's right. I taught myself all of that and I understand it enough to write a twenty page paper about it." Sweet victory.

Prensky is onto something with his articles on Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. It is easy to say I am a Digital Native and that I will be able to totally relate to my students and understand the technological tools they have at their fingertips - however, this is absolutely false. Technology is developing at an alarming rate and I am sure by the time I have been teaching for twenty years, I will feel the same way as the Digital Immigrants feel today. Prensky puts it best when he states that "it's just dumb (and lazy) of educators - not to mention ineffective - to presume that (despite their traditions) the Digital Immigrant way is the only way." That is one line I should keep in the part of my brain that stores everything about educational theory. As an educator, it is extremely important for me educate not only my students about my subject, but also to educate myself about their digital language.