Teaching an old dog new tricks is not always the easiest thing to do. Digital immigrants, in this case, are the old dogs. In the article, Prensky explains digital immigrants learn new things one thing at a time, one step at a time, slowly, and seriously (Prensky). When a person grows up learning one way and then must change the tools they use and the ways they originally learned, it is more difficult to learn and adjust existing schemas to the new information. It requires digital immigrants to re-route their ways of getting new information and accomplishing a task. Prensky states “language learned later in life, scientists tell us, goes into a different part of the brain” (Prensky). The problem this poses is that there is a gap in teaching students because the way digital immigrants have learned to do things is differently than the way digital natives learn. As future educators, we are constantly being told to get to know our students so that we can better understand them and meet their needs. This includes consideration of how technology has impacted their ways of obtaining knowledge and skills. We should not assume that students are the same today as they were before technology became such an integral part of our lives. 

To close this gap between generations of learners, it is important to recognize, address, and identify ways to teach today’s students. Prensky suggests changing the methodology and content that we use to teach students. This means “going faster, less step-by step, more in parallel, with more random access, among other things” (Prensky).  It also means incorporating content that is more relevant to today’s students, such as digital and technological, which includes learning about “software, hardware, robotics, nanotechnology, genomics, etc,” and the “ethics, politics, sociology, languages, and other things that go with them” (Prensky).  Prensky realizes that meeting this new way of learning means inventing new ways of doing things. He suggests using gaming as an option to change the methodology and to incorporate the old and new content. He gives several examples of how students can learn any subject and its related content through gaming and states “it’s an idiom with which most of them are totally familiar” (Prensky). A large barrier to Prensky’s ideas is the digital immigrants who are resistant to change.  

As educators, we want to learn about students’ background, culture, learning styles, interests, contexts of learning, and all the factors that affect student learning. This information helps to determine effective strategies that will address the students’ needs and create more positive student outcomes. When considering the N-gen or D-generation, the role that technology plays in their lives should be a factor worth considering. Weighing the value of the new information and ideas is essential to determine its place in education. 

According to Pensky’s ideas, digital immigrants do not process information in the same way that digital natives do. Digital immigrants have learned using tools that are now becoming rarities in today’s world, such as paper, pens, bookshelves, filing cabinets, and books. They have learned from teacher-centered approaches to learning and understand these methods as ways to acquire skills and knowledge. Strategies using a teacher-centered approach can be useful when introducing new concepts and skills in a short period of time (Burden & Byrd, 2019). Some skills are better taught through direction instruction. There is value to be placed on traditional learning. Speaking from my own personal experience as a digital immigrant, I have learned to do basic math with and without a calculator, spell with and without a spellchecker, and write papers by hand or with a keyboard. In my lifetime, I have learned to print, write in cursive, and type 50+ wpm. I have learned many skills before and after the age of technology, some of which are no longer considered useful. However, in my opinion, it is always useful to have a hard copy of knowledge and skills that will stand the test of time, a storage space and skill set that does not constantly need to be updated. That is why I think it is important to have books, printed photographs, and knowledge passed from one generation to the next. I think some knowledge and skills can and should only be learned without the use of technology because this ‘knowledge’ can be passed on without changing. 

The consideration of student motivation, interest, and learning styles is always important when it comes to learning. Students are more motivated to learn when the learning is meaningful. As the article discusses, the N generation is wired differently. They have grown up in a world that operates in a high-speed, high-tech, highly stimulating, convenient, and multi-tasking fashion. It seems to make sense that they would operate in the same way. The N-gen’s cultural language and tools should be considered as relevant and meaningful parts of their lives. A recent example that made Prensky’s points come to life took place during a conversation between me and my daughter. She asked me if I had seen Sonic The Hedgehog. I told her I had not and asked if it was animated. She told me that it was CGI. I looked at her strangely and asked, “what is that?” She said “just CGI,” and then gave me an example of a movie using this method. I do not recall hearing this term before, although now that I understand what it is I’m sure I’ve heard it multiple times. I guess I am a digital immigrant who can be resistant to new ideas. I often turn my ears off to new technology concepts and only learn what I need to know when I need to know it. Technology is always changing. It can be difficult to keep up when you are not trying to. Prensky’s ideas about the N generation’s ways of learning makes some good points about today’s students and teachers. As educators who is preparing this generation for college and careers it is essential that we consider how the digital world affects learning in the same ways that we consider all other philosophies of learning. 

What kind of courses or training is available to teachers that can help prepare them for their digital-native students? 

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On The Horizon, 9, (5).  

 

To be an effective teacher, one must be willing to be a life-long learner. Teachers need to continually reflect on their teaching practices. Reflection helps the teacher to determine what works, what doesn’t work, and how improvements can be made to help students be more successful. Teachers who make conscious efforts to reflect on their teaching practices want to do better for their students and are more open to changing their ways. This willingness to change requires new learning on the teacher’s part and a continual effort to seek new information. The article, Understanding Digital Kids II, discusses how teachers do not understand the digital world that students are growing up in today. The article states, “Teachers require a real understanding of 21^st century digital culture. They need to be able to use the tools and skills that our students will need to have in the culture of the 21^st century. Knowing about the digital culture is more than just rhetoric and just talking about change. It means going from where we are to where we need to be” (Understanding Digital Kids II, n.d., p.4). To make the effort to ‘be the change’, the article suggests taking some time every week to become familiar with the digital world that has become an integral part of today’s students. Technology is constantly changing so it is does require continual learning on the teacher’s part to stay updated on the digital tools that are relevant to children today. When teachers are more adept in the digital world, they can better understand the age of digital culture and how it affects our students today and in the future. 

Understanding today’s students requires getting to know their culture, interests, and what is meaningful and relevant to their lives. The article talks about how students spend hours engaged in the digital world outside of school but are required to shut it down in school to return to traditional ways of doing things. The article states the primary sources of information in school are “textbooks, worksheets, and test prep materials” and “are decidedly non-technological, slow-paced, twentieth century tools and mediums” (p.6). If learning happens when students can apply what they are learning to real life, how we can expect them to grow in a “1960s” mindset? In the digital culture, this kind of learning is so boring and so irrelevant for most kids that they have to power down when dealing with teachers” (p.6). Because of technology, the world is now at our fingertips. Students can communicate with people all over the world and access anything they want to know. Rather than sweeping the relevance of technology under the rug, teachers need to find ways to connect what and how students are learning to what is meaningful in students’ lives. Allowing students to use the digital tools that are embedded in their ways of knowing will help students to make connections between their “existing knowledge and new information” and will result in more effective learning. 

The goal of education is to prepare students for college and careers. As educators, we must understand the relevance of technology in today’s world. As the article points out, businesses and colleges are now using digital tools as a primary way to communicate and collaborate. I see this taking place in my current workplace. We have gone from using old-fashioned timesheets to keep track of hours worked to downloading a timekeeping app on our phones to using a digital tool that requires the reading of fingerprints to clock in and out. We have gone from using sticky notes and letters to using emails, instant messaging, digital tasking, and electronic faxes to communicate and send correspondence. It is now easier for our business manager to arrange company meetings without having to arrange a space to fit everyone or consider travel time and accommodations because everyone can meet at the time same place and same time without having to go anywhere. We use Google Drive for sharing documents and collaborating on the same projects and digital media to create projects and presentations. Rather than blocking the use of digital tools in schools, educators should find ways to integrate social networking, digital tools, and multimedia throughout education to better prepare our students for what lies ahead. 

These days it is nearly impossible to do anything without basic knowledge of technology. Even though many of us have grown up without technology and have managed to function in life without it until recent years, we now find ourselves scrambling to learn new ways of doing things to function in the digital world. If we are just skimming the surface of technology to get by, we are doing a disservice to our students who understand technology as a way of life. It is essential for today’s students that educators understand the gap in the way the Net Generation learns and the ways that traditional educators teach to find ways to close the gap and meet students where they are. The article explains that students need clear and realistic expectations and standards, appropriate tools and resources to work with, and lots of modeling and coaching. Students need these things to be successful regardless of the content and processes used to teach students. However, educators must let go of the idea that direct instruction of singular and sequential tasks using text and lectures through independent activities is the best way to reach students. Today’s digital learners are multitaskers and thrive on graphics, random and instant access to information, active learning, networking, and instant gratification. As the article states, the first thing to do to bridge the gap is to “roll up our sleeves and acknowledge that there’s lots of work to be done” (p.12). While traditional ways of teaching is necessary for teaching some content and skills, educators cannot be so set in their ways that they refuse to change with the times to be the most effective teachers for today’s digital learners. 

The article states, “like we said, kids are differently neurologically” (p. 4). Where exactly is the science that backs up this statement? 

Understanding Digital Kids II. (n.d.). 21st Century Fluency Series. [PDF Document]. Retrieved from MVNU. file:///C:/Users/Sherry/Downloads/
21st_Fluency_Project%20(1).pdf

An online classroom platform, such as Google Classroom, EdPuzzle, or Moodle, allows teachers to post online what they would normally do in the classroom. In the article, Are We Innovating, or Just Digitizing Traditional Teaching, Holland explains that posting announcements, instructional videos, and assignments, in an online platform is doing nothing more than digitizing traditional, physical classroom content and procedures (2017). While Covid shut everything down last year, teachers had no choice but to use online platforms to keep students from missing months of school. Initially, many teachers struggled through the process of finding ways to teach students without being in the same physical space with them. Over time, students have fallen behind despite efforts to keep them engaged in learning. 

Blended learning is more than posting online what is normally done in the classroom. According to Holland (2017), “blended learning affords students not only the opportunity to gain both content and instruction via online as well as traditional classroom means, but also an element of authority over this process.” Blended learning requires a student-led approach to learning in addition to explicit teaching. Rather than using direct instruction to teach, educators make it possible for students to be active in their own learning. Teachers provide opportunities for students to explore topics, make discoveries, and find solutions to problems. 

In the article, Holland shares what she learned from interviewing three instructional coaches who are moving towards a blended learning approach (2017). One of the coaches used screencasting for reading material and explaining the content because this allows students to adjust the pace of their learning (Holland). Another coach used screencasting to provide direct instruction of difficult concepts because this frees the coach to work with students one-on-one (Holland). Blended learning was also used in a social studies class where the teacher allows students to access content knowledge through video, digital text, paper books, or face-to-face conversations (Holland). Holland explains how these examples shows blended learning in action, when students can become engaged in their own learning “to gain content and instruction” and where students have “new voice and choice” over the products that demonstrate learning (2017). 

Some teachers may feel that posting information online for students to access counts as blended learning. While it does make some learning possible when students cannot be in the classroom, and it may be “a first step toward new models of learning,” it is not blended learning. Blended learning is more than posting regular classroom stuff online. It is a mix of direct and indirect instruction that takes place in and out of the classroom. It is giving students some control over how they gain knowledge and skills and how they demonstrate their learning, As Holland explains in the article, it is up to the teacher to decide the direction of how students learn inside and outside of the classroom (2017). It is the teacher who creates the opportunities “under which agency can flourish” (Holland). Direct instruction is beneficial to students for teaching some skills and concepts. Through student-led approaches, teachers give students the opportunity to learn beyond their abilities of teaching. Blended learning happens when teachers provide opportunities for both direct and student-led approaches. 

If we move toward blended learning and digitized content and procedures as new models of instruction and learning, what does the future look like for teachers? 

Holland, B. (2017). Are We Innovating or Just Digitizing Traditional Teaching? Blended 

Learning. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/are-we-innovating-or-just-

digitizing-traditional-teaching-beth-holland. 

The article, Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities, explains that assistance can range from low to high tech and can be given through devices or services. It is anything that can be used to “increase, maintain, or improve the capabilities of a student with a disability” (MacCormack & Young, n.d.). This can be the way a paper is folded to highlight important points, computers and software programs that make learning more possible, or services provided by a special education teacher. 

Biggie 2: 

For students with intellectual disabilities, assistive technology can be used to support learning and to bypass an area of difficulty (MacCormack & Young). If a student struggles with decoding or word recognition, using a digital version of a book that highlights words as they are being read aloud can help the student to learn unfamiliar words. Text-to-speech software can be beneficial for students who learn better through listening rather than reading. Word processing programs can support learning for students who have trouble with the mechanical aspects of writing or have difficulty with spelling and grammar. Computer-assisted technology can also improve the memorization of math facts and promote more positive attitudes towards math (MacCormack & Young). 

If teachers are not correctly trained on how to use and incorporate assistive technology to promote learning, the devices can be distracting and take away from the learning experience. When teachers understand the assistive technology that is available and how to correctly use it, they are more prepared to incorporate it in a way that will promote learning rather than detract from it. The article points out to us, “as student’s successful implementation of assistive technology is directly related to the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of special education teachers” (MacCormack & Young). Special education teachers who become knowledgeable about assistive technology are better informed to prepare general education teachers and students on correct and appropriate use of the assistive device. When teachers feel more knowledgeable and prepared, they can plan ways to embed the AT within their instruction which will decrease distractibility, and they will be more willing to use devices, overall improving dispositions about assistive technology. 

Two sides:
One side that the article points out is how beneficial assistive technology can be for students with disabilities. For students with writing difficulties, computer-assistive devices and software programs can improve the quantity, structure, and organization of note taking and writing assignments. Phonics, fluency, and comprehension can be improved for students with difficulty in reading skills. Voice recognition software has been proven to remove barriers to learning that affect word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension (MacCormack & Young). Research has found that word prediction software improves transcription accuracy and may improve word fluency and compositional skills (MacCormack & Young). Computer-assisted instruction has also shown to help students memorize math facts (MacCormack & Young).  Overall, when used effectively, assistive devices supports learning and improves self-esteem and attitudes towards learning. 

The other side to this is that although AT promotes learning, it is not used to its fullest potential for students with disabilities.  The article points out a survey by Judge and Simms that showed only a third of special education programs addressed assistive technology, and only a few opportunities exist for professional development towards assistive technology (MacCormack & Young). Reasons behind this are due to a lack of research, funding and resources, and support for teachers (MacCormack & Young). With inclusion laws that were put in effect by IDEA, this should no longer be the case. If teachers are expected to include all students to the fullest extent possible, they should be provided with the resources needed to plan accommodations that will meet their students’ needs. Teachers should be provided with adequate training, professional development, and access to services and devices that will promote learning for students with disabilities and help them to be more successful in the inclusive classroom. 

How can teachers advocate for better support in the use of assistive technology in their classrooms to improve learning for students with disabilities? 

MacCormack, J., & Young, G. (n.d.). Assistive Technology for Students with
     
      Learning Disabilities. LD@School. 

     https://www.ldatschool.ca/assistive-technology. 

The article, Digital Citizenship in the Curriculum, addresses an important topic of the 21^st century. The article suggests that because the digital world is now integrated in our democracy that students need to learn how to be good citizens in the digital world. Students spend a lot of time online. They see and read information that comes from all sorts of places. Students need to be “critical consumers of information” (Carpenter & Krutka, n.d.). They need to be able to decipher what is credible information. One of the first ways to do this is to check the sources of the information. When students check the sources before they decide if the information is worth considering, they are becoming “personally responsible citizens” (Carpenter & Krutka). 

Biggie 2: 

Citizens of the 21^st century now have a large platform to share their ideas and voice their opinions. Students may be hesitant to post their opinions online, but educators can help students find safe and appropriate ways to be heard and have discussions. Choosing an online platform that is most likely to affect the change the student wants to see is one step towards being a good “participatory citizen” (Carpenter & Krutka).  A teacher who creates a class Twitter account can guide students towards appropriate ways to discuss topics and provides a safe online platform for the classroom to discuss issues “within and beyond the walls of their school” (Carpenter & Krutka). 

Biggie 3: 

If students are going to be responsible citizens by checking the information they choose to follow and participate in voicing their opinions and negotiating with others, they will also benefit from knowing how to be a “justice-oriented digital citizen” (Carpenter & Krutka). Justice-oriented citizens take action to make change in “social, political, and economical structures” on issues from “systemic injustices to quality health care” (Carpenter & Krutka). However, no regulation of the internet means social medial platforms can pick and choose the information they want their consumers to see. They are not “neutral conveyors of information, but carry the biases of their creators, algorithms, and users” (Carpenter & Krutka). As suggested by Carpenter and Krutka, one way that students can become active citizens of change in the online world is to raise awareness and pressure social medial companies to make policies that support a healthier democracy. 

At the beginning of the article, the authors tell us about a ban put into effect by a school district in Wisconsin. It is a social media ban to test if their students’ academics and behaviors will improve without online distractions. The school district is seeking more positive results by ignoring something that is relevant to students today. Social media has become one of the main sources for socializing and obtaining information. By placing a ban on this source, the school district is missing the opportunity to help students grow as citizens in the digital world. The authors of the article state, “when schools ban social media in the name of controlling behavior, maintaining safety, and improving short-term productivity, educators are absolving themselves of the responsibility to educate students for today’s world” (Carpenter & Krutka). Rather than ignoring the problems that social media creates by placing a ban on it, educators should teach and model for students how to be good citizens in the digital world. Social media can be beneficial for opening up discussions and reaching many people when used appropriately. During the time that students spend in school, educators can use this time to help shape the digital citizens of today and tomorrow. 

At what grade level, should educators start including digital citizenship in the curriculum? 

Carpenter, J., & Krutka, D. (n.d.). Digital Citizenship in the Curriculum. MNVU  
     
      Moodle Site. file:///C:/Users/Sherry/Downloads/DigitalCitizenshipIn 

      theCurriculumKrutkaDGCarpenterJPEdLeadership2017.pdf