I have had some very interesting conversations
around the content and questions addressed in workshop #5 involving the use of
technology in the modern classroom (“the wired student"). While this is, of
course, a topic that everyone in academia is familiar with, it was interesting
to really sit down and form my own point-of-view as well as hearing about the
perspective of others on the various aspects of today’s “digital world” as it
relates to learning.
A few common themes/conclusions throughout my
discussions…
1. I agree with Prensky’s use
of the terms “native” and “immigrants” and believe that they accurately reflect
my own understanding/perspective of the current digital culture. While I
appreciate McKenzie’s argument that we can’t simply juxtapose one against
another in binary terms (obviously…we all know that’s never actually possible),
his argument seemed more defensive than informative.
It is certainly important to
keep socio-economic factors in mind when making generalizations about an entire
generation since only a small percentage of that generation actually has
consistent (or any) access to the “new” technology that Prensky identifies. If
we focus solely on today’s college students (generally assumed to be primarily
middle to upper class, 18-24 years old) then, yes, I believe that there is a
significant difference between the modes of today’s digital “natives” and
digital “immigrants.” From my own experience, one of the largest differences
between these two groups are HOW
they like to be taught (lecture vs discussion/hands-on) and what they expect of
the time/space relationship of the
classroom (i.e. constant communication via email, Facebook, LMS systems, etc.
is an essential aspect of learning for most DNs while there seems to be a need
for a distinct disconnect of time and space between “learning” and “private”
time for DIs).
2. Do you have to be conscious of your “understanding” of the mechanics
and/or social and cultural implications of technology in order to be considered
digitally “literate”? …. I haven’t come up with an “answer” to this, but I've been thinking it through and am curious about the idea.
3. In regard to question #4 (“what technology
trends should we be tracking?”), the answer to this definitely depends on who
“we” are as an institution. MOOCs, for example, are something that a small liberal
arts college could (and should) be aware of (in terms of the model and the
rationale behind it) but that does not necessarily mean that such an institution
should implement such a model; trends
can inform decisions without determining them.
4. In regard to question #5 (“what are the costs
of ‘free’ web services) – this questions draws us back to the issue of what IT
is responsible for in terms of technical support…. Can/Should we (IT) guarantee the success and integrity of services that
we are not physically in control of? Can we suggest the use of Dropbox as a simple tool for
storage even though we can not guarantee the privacy/integrity/security of their
content? - The "solution" to this question in my discussions with others tended to lean toward the idea of creating a specific list of what IT does and does not "endorse" as a tool and guarantee support for and, further, being sure that individuals understand the specific tools that IT is entirely in "control" of those they they are not (servers vs. web-based, etc.).
-Megan
Hi Liana,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I definitely enjoy reading the different perspective you take to some of these items than I do. I have a couple questions and thoughts I added below.
* You mention in reference to digital natives and digital immigrants that "one of the largest differences between these two groups are HOW they like to be taught (lecture vs discussion/hands-on)"
- I'm curious as to whether you think there is any chance that the digital immigrants of yesteryear actually didn't enjoy traditional lecture that much either, but rather had fewer options? It seems to me that the idea of the young student daydreaming during a boring lecture has been around for many years. I wonder if it's less about the inherent nature of people changing and more about our environment changing.
* You mention that you were unsure of the importance of " 'understanding' of the mechanics and/or social and cultural implications of technology in order to be considered digitally “literate"
- I think that's a tough question to answer as well. One thought is that it depends on the level of intellectual behavior the student is at. We can model this using blooms taxonomy. http://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm
From this model, it's more clear that this 'understanding' we speak of is necessary, but only once we reach levels of analyzing and evaluating. So perhaps it is necessary, but the trick is figuring out when it becomes necessary.
* Great point in your comment for '3.' Staying true to ourselves and making technology work for us rather than making ourselves work for specific technology trends is so important.
* Another great question for '4.' One thing to think about though: With the current rate of development of new applications and tools, is it feasible to create a master list of supported software? How do we manage the testing and analysis of all this different software and hardware? I think your right and that it's part of our job to be aware of what's available and to decide what we support, but with the current technology environment it's difficult. Perhaps if we can broaden our knowledge to concepts and less on specific software we can better support. Perhaps not.
Overall great work! I'm looking forward to the virtual meeting and discussion.
- Jason
Sorry, completely just posted on this thinking I was on Liana's site, my bad Megan. All comments still stand.
ReplyDeleteI think in regards to your last question, students should become more educated about the costs of free web services, because it is not always known to students. If they know that IT does not "endorse" the use of those services, and are educated about the risks that might come with using said services, they might make different decisions. I think that there is a lack in education and understanding about use of free services and people's digital footprints.
ReplyDelete