Since reading Digital Natives, I have been thinking about my classroom instruction. With a new semester starting up soon, I figure this is a good time to maybe "update" my teaching techniques.
I am not surprised by the evidence presented on the amount of time students spend using technology to communicate. All one has to do for evidence of this is spend some time in the halls of a school or in a mall. How many teens do you see texting? Some days, I wonder if they ever spend any time communicating the old fashion way: Face to face talking. In my opinion, some of the break down of family can also be blamed on technology. In the third part of the article, Changing Behavior of 15-24 Year Olds, it is stated that: " In the US" for instance more than two thirds of all 8-18 year olds have a TV in their bedroom, nearly half have a video games console, and more than 30% have a computer." When I was a child, there was one t.v. in the living room and we watch it as a family. This would sometimes lead to arguments as to what was to be watched, but we always managed to find something to enjoy together. We would watch a t.v. show or movie together. We would discuss what was happening in the show together. Now a days, I am not sure how often parents see their children.
The main question for me is how can I keep my students interested in my lessons? According to Buvat, Mehra and Raunschvig, students are " time-saved users, juggling various activities at the same time, always on the lookout for something better to invest their attention in, eventually resulting in attention thinning." What can I do to keep their attention? How can I change my lessons to make them more engaging? My first step of course is in taking this course. I know that although blogging is new to me, it is part of my student's everyday vocabulary. I started a twitter this week, which is my second step. I must admit, that I have not actually twitted yet, but I am slowly making advances. One step at a time, is the way I see it.
One of my hopes for this class is to get a little closer to the technological level of my students. None of the information in the Digital Natives article was very surprising, however it definately enforned my need to update my technological skills.