To be honest, before reading this article, I thought I was a digital native. Hey...I had computers in third grade. I remember my librarian introducing us to the world wide web in sixth grade. But oh was I wrong. As I read further into the article, I could see my 'accent' coming out all over the the printed copy I used to make notes on (instead of creating digital highlights).
What Prensky (2001) says makes sense. Children are not thinking like we did. They are a very 'instant gratification' type of generation. Teachers up there lecturing all day don't have a chance! Children are in and out in an instant. We have to get hip to what they're into. Though it's scary, the benefits outweigh our fear.
He seemed informative about the ways that we need to start approaching our teaching but in the end...boy, did he just let us have it. "It's high time for them to stop their grousing, and as the Nike motto of the Digital Native generation says, 'Just do it!'" So I guess I'll stop making excuses and 'Just do it!'
I like this article. I have started using technology more in my classroom since I been in Graduate school. The students like using the computers in the classroom. I went to a workshop on Monday on how to create a Glogster. My students will be creating a glogster on the story Beowulf.
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