Digital Age Learners need to have digital tools available for their learning style. Because today's youth are more media centered, many teachers find that blogs are a useful digital tool for collaboration among students, parents, and other teachers. Read the information on page 243 (6th edition) Education Issues
http://oc.course.com/sc/tdc6/index.cfm?action=issue&chapter=4 as well as the article by Marc Prensky
After reviewing the readings post your answers to the following questions:
1. Have some of these students rewired their brains to multitask?
2. Can they can read e-mails, send instant messages and text messages over handheld devices, speak to one another in short sentences, and continue to watch movies and participate in multiple conversations, all while finishing their homework?
3. When we try to place these students in the traditional learning environment, are we working against their cognitive or digital learning style?
4. What are your thoughts about this theory for this new generation of digital kids?
5. Do you see the differences in their learning?
6. What suggestions do you have for reaching them?
7. Give some suggestions and defend your answer.
Post your answers to Question Two here:
Older students and adults know whether or not they can multi-task while doing work. However, I believe younger students are not as self-aware. Sure, there may be a few expectations but students need to focus on only the work in front of them to meaningfully learn, understand, and eventually know. I do not believe that students can read emails, send text messages, have short conversations with the people around them, and watch a movie all while finishing their homework. Maybe some older students who live in a home environment with multi-tasking parents and siblings could handle all of those distractions while doing their homework.
ReplyDeleteI do not think we are working against our students' cognitive or digital learning style by conducting a traditional learning environment. We need to expose each of our individual students to all different types of learning environments, whether it is fast-pace or slow and focused.
This theory does not surprise me because we are entering into a digital, technology-based world. I may be old-school, but I truly believe that you cannot replace human communication, interaction, and a love of teaching students with a computer.
The differences I see in my Kindergartners' learning is the absolute excitement and engagement when their group gets to go to the computers during center time and when we play interactive games from either the curriculum's website or other great resources as a whole group. I cannot deny how useful and engaging technology is in the classroom when used appropriately.
As an elementary school teacher, I am always accommodating for my Kindergarten students. To reach my multi-tasking students, I would give them the opportunity to play an interactive game on the computer or the iPad, complete a worksheet based on the interactive game, and share what they have learned with me and their peers.
Katie Frenock
I am torn about how much of this re-wiring is real or positive. Frontline did a special, "Digital Nation" and they discussed a study that revealed that none of us, young people included, are very good at multi-tasking. I will concede that attention span seems to have been, in my view, negatively impacted. I don't know how anyone can meaningfully solve a problem or write a thoughtful essay without being on task.
ReplyDeleteMy response to the second question is that can do all these things, but not very well. There is a trade-off to all this activity. I have heard students comment that they have to stay off facebook or they are not going to accomplish much. I do see more bleary-eyed students in the mornings and often discover that they spend time into the wee hours gaming or on social media. I
If we put them in a traditional learning environment, is it a matter of trying to fight the tide of all of this attention-sapping activity or is it counter-productive given their learning styles. I think the jury is out on this. For my own sense of integrity, I think it important to design tasks that are thoughtful and meaningful and will have students using technology in more than short bursts. I feel so conflicted about these issues. I think there are great teachers who have not embraced technology but are providing students with critical thinking skills that will serve them in any environment. I have also seen people use technology for the the sake of using technology without advancing much learning.Then there is a "middle way" that I aspire to achieve.
I definitely see the differences as outlined above. It is funny and timely that I got a message on my edmodo page from a bright student who asked if he had to do the AP Summer Assignment if he didn't plan on taking the test. This kind of query is becoming more common. There is a culture of "shortcutting" that I can attribute, at least in part, to all the distractions that technology provides.
I can only offer the advice not to judge teachers who are not techies and be careful about heaping praise on someone just because they use technology frequently. My advice is to use technology to make what you already do better. Communication can be made better with technology (edmodo) or worse (over-reliance on email). Be thoughtful in your use of technology. If you have a great project that can lend itself to technology without sacrificing content mastery, that is a judicious use of technology. I just feel that we can sometimes lose sight of what we teach if we go overboard.
I remember quote I saw on twitter one day and I can only paraphrase it. The individual tweeted something close to this: "Great teachers don't need technology, but technology requires great teachers." That sentiment pretty much captures how I feel on this subject!
Great quote! That is so true.
DeleteFrom my experience in dealing with students with Attention Deficit Disorder, I do not believe that these are students who have simply “rewired their brains to multitask.” Instead, these students have a genuine disability – one which causes them to have trouble sustaining attention, staying organized, and controlling impulses. In my experience, the more tasks you try to give a student with ADD at once, the more overwhelmed they become! This past year, one of my students with ADHD could not even be near any distracting sounds or pictures (a computer on beside him, rain outside, etc.) or he would become completely unable to focus on what was going on in class. In my opinion, students with ADD/HD definitely do not tend to have an increased ability to multitask – it’s just the opposite.
ReplyDeleteWhen students with ADD are placed in traditional classrooms, it may be challenging for them, but I do not think that we are working against any sort of “cognitive/digital learning style.” Instead, when students with ADD are in the classroom, they often encounter tasks that are difficult for them simply because they have a hard time sustaining attention, staying organized, and controlling impulses. These three characteristics are vital to learning in any environment, not just a traditional classroom. I have seen students with ADD struggle immensely in class, especially when they are around many external distractions. To help students with ADD, I have found that it helps to approach their learning with much forethought about potential distracters and challenges they may face. The following tips are adapted from Woolfolk (2010), and they are also ones that I try to use in my own classroom for students with ADD and ADHD:
•Give students with ADD and ADHD more support in learning memory and organizational techniques. They often lack the organizational and motivational skills necessary to stick with assignments. When frustrated, they just give up. However, “stick-with-it-ness” and organization can be taught, and teachers can offer students much positive reinforcement when these skills are successfully practiced.
•Break down long assignments into shorter chunks. Don’t give too many directions at once! Students with ADD are often overwhelmed by long assignments.
•Use lots of pictures and visual cues to sustain attention during whole-group lessons.
•Offer students with ADD choices in assignments. Just having them feel like they have some control over their own learning can keep them from getting frustrated.
•Offer students with ADD and ADHD plenty of chances for “mini-breaks”. Sometimes they just need to get up and get moving around before they can focus again.
•Choose your battles. You can’t get upset over every little transgression with a student with ADD and ADHD. There will be times when you need to give them more leeway than other students receive. Being “on them” all of the time will just raise feelings of frustration and lack of motivation.
Woolfolk, Anita (2010). Educational Psychology (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Personally I do not believe that students have re-wired the way their brains work to multitask. In looking at some of my ADD and ADHD students from the past, they are not great at multitasking, they simply cannot focus on one thing for a long period of time (or don’t want to), so they end up moving onto something else that they need to get done. While this may be true for some ADD students, it certainly is not for all of them.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that some students, identified with ADD/ADHD or not, are very capable of doing many things at once. Some of my 7th and 8th graders have mastered their phones to the point where they do not even need to look at the keys in order to compose a full text or email. They can easily carry on a conversation with other student while they do this. I’ve seen it so I definitely believe it. Now the homework part of this one is the tricky part. They can “do” the homework at the same time this is going on, but many of them will admit that they are not giving their full effort toward doing the homework correctly or getting everything out of it that they possibly could.
As for students with ADD/ADHD, we are placing them into traditional learning environments that may or may not work against their learning styles. This is also a good argument for teaching to many learning styles so you can reach as many of them as possible. I think that students with ADD and ADHD sometimes, even when fully engaged in a lesson, cannot focus on what they are doing even if they are fully engaged and having fun. I don’t know that we are going against their learning styles because even when you cater to them, distractions will occur.
I like the idea of a new generation of digital kids and them embracing technology. Think about your parents or grandparents when they got their first computer and you had to teach them how to use it. Sure, there may be some confusing parts at first, but once they get going, it’s no surprise to see many uses of the technology became second nature. You still have the times when the “internet is broken” and setbacks of that nature but we all have to embrace change at some point or we cannot move forward. I just hope these kids keep teaching me about all the cool stuff that there is out there.
I try to reach all of my students and the more that you can relate to them, the better. Including technology into your lessons is a great way that they can get something that is hands-on in most cases and more importantly fun. Any time that I can introduce a topic using games or real-life examples from my students’ lives it really engages them. This is especially true for my kids with ADD and ADHD. It gives them something to latch onto and you can use that as a point to return to when they get off-task.
I also try to break down each assignment into manageable parts. Asking my students to do this on their own and manage their time wisely typically does not work. If I choose to do the latter, I always need to stay on top of them to make sure that adequate progress is being made toward the final goal of completion of the project. Support and reassurance are valuable tools to help these kids out in a traditional learning environment.
From my own experience with ADD and ADHD students I do not believe the students “rewired” their brains to multitask. Some students are better able to adapt to their surroundings and compensating to their surroundings so they are better to adapt to seem to handle doing more than one thing. Depending on the classroom and teacher some students seem to do better doing tasks. Some students can read text, emails, hold conversations, play games, and watch movies while they are doing homework and do their homework well. Some students need the extra stimulation and distraction to complete work. I have had students in my class be typing reports on the computer while carrying on full conversations and then get an A in the report when it is handed in.
ReplyDeleteSome students are not given a chance to shine when they are placed in a traditional environment, especially if most of the class is based off lecture. The students do need to be placed in all types of learning environments because that is how the “real world” functions.
This theory may work if the technology is being used and implemented well. If technology is being used just to use it and how the student is doing and if it is benefiting the student then the extra use of technology will not necessarily benefit the student. The students live with technology around them so it makes sense to use the technology to help the students achieve their highest potential.
Adapting lessons and their surroundings will help the student to shine and not struggle as much in the class. Limiting distractions, allowing the students extra breaks, helping them be organized, chunking assignments, and more reinforcement may be helpful. Although not helpful for all students last year I had a student that I had to stand next to when doing individual work in order for him to complete assignments. I try and let my students be creative and add their own thoughts, ideas, and uniqueness to as many projects and class assignments as possible so they can use what they feel comfortable using. It requires some extra work but I found that the students do better when they are given a choice and are allowed to work on their projects using something they feel comfortable with and at their own pace.
Jessica,
DeleteYour statement regarding the traditional classroom not allowing some students to shine is so true. Technology is a greate tool that we as teachers can use to help students.
Colleen Pagano
After reading the section about Mr. Balado’s 5th grade class and how he used different stations and activities to teach them, I keep asking myself, “How else would you teach 5th grade?” I do not think it is because these students are growing up surrounded by video games, multimedia, and smart phones, I think this is just how younger children learn. Moreover, I think we, as teachers are just coming to terms with this fact. When I was a kid, TV and video games “rotted your brain”. Well if this is true, how come I am not brain dead by now? I am 33 play video games almost daily; I do not believe this has made me any more or less intelligent. In other words, I simply think Mr. Balado is teaching children based on their majority, nothing more.
ReplyDeleteAs far as kids being able to multi task, I would say some of them yes, others no. I have to have complete silence when taking a test, writing a paper, or doing some other task. I cannot focus on more than one thing at a time. My brother, for example, can. He is 36 and spends just as much time playing video games and using technology as I do. He learns differently than me, that’s all. Some kids can, and some kid cannot do more things at once. This is why, when I am giving and assessment in my class, I let students listen to their iPods if they want to.
My thoughts about this age of “digital kids” are they are simply going to be more out of shape. Look at it this way, remember when you were a kid and use to love riding your bike? You would come home, grab a snack, change into your play clothes and put some serious miles on your bike. You were not doing homework or reading during this time, you were relaxing. Kids now go home and play video games until bed time. I think the media plays a bigger role in this than people seem to realize. I do not want to sound paranoid or a conspiracy theorist, but think about it, all you hear on the news are stories about kids getting kidnapped, molested, hooked on drugs, or something similar. The media wants you to saty inside so you will watch commercials and buy things. Fear makes money. Period.
I personally do not see a difference in learning. If anything, I see a difference in teaching. The days of class notes and practice are over. Kids need to be engaged, not because they are part of the digital age, but because this is how people have always learned!
If you want to reach kids, get to know them, and their learning styles. My old boss Sergeant Scott, could talk to anyone about anything. I use to think he had some gift of social grace. Then when I thought about it, the main difference between him and some of the others was he listen, while other waited for their turn to speak.
As a high school teacher, I see my students multitask more today than ever before. It’s almost amazing how they can accomplish so many things in one day. However, does this idea of conquering so many tasks at once really lead to success? For my students, I think the answer is no. Many of my students try to tackle texting, Facebook/Twitter, listening to music, and completing their homework at the same time. Those students, normally, end up with mediocre grades. My students who prioritize and focus on one task at a time are my stellar students. Honestly, I think they multitask because they are too busy. I have students who are in clubs and sports at the high school, who work twenty plus hours a week, who take karate on their own time, and have time for a social life. This doesn’t even include their schoolwork. They just cannot accomplish everything that has to happen in one day without attempting to multitask. But when they do this, something has to give, right? It’s impossible to focus on that essay completely, when the girlfriend is texting you every five seconds. This is especially true for my ADD students. These students, more than anyone else, try to multitask, however, the results are almost always subpar. They don’t have the capacity to focus on one task completely, so how could they focus completely on three tasks at a time? They can’t.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, I do understand that some students can multitask and do so well. So, I give my students the option to listen to iPods when working independently in class. Could I do this as a student? Absolutely not, but I know that I need to focus on one thing at a time. This is the advantage of teaching high school students. By eleventh grade, these kids know their learning style and they know what works best for them. This is probably why most of my students choose not to plug in to their music during class.
Traditional learning environments may not be best for all learners or in all learning situations, however technology surrounds children. Some students use technology all of the time. It seems that children younger and younger are getting cell phones, and iPads. Technology is truly available to them 24/7. Parents provide their children with portable devices that they can use in the car or in a restaurant. With that being said, I do not believe that children are becoming better at multi-tasking, but they are more willing to explore and try new things. Most students seem to be more creative and focused when using technology devices, however students with ADD or ADHD still only stay focused for a short period of time. For these students I would recommend short breaks. With the use of technology comes downfalls in my opinion. Students are more willing to use slang and do not write in complete sentences which can carry over into their writing.
ReplyDeleteAs educators we need to embrace this luxury of students coming to us at an early age understanding maybe more technology than us. I do not have a clue how to use a DS but, I know it allows children to do more than just play games and they enjoy using them. Instead of eliminating cell phones and other devices in schools, we should promote use of it. As schools promote the use of technology, students need to be explicitly taught the rules and consequences that go along with its misuse. We need to teach students when it is appropriate to use slang and short talk versus proper English. Additionally, teachers need to keep up with technology and be creative in how they use devices to enhance education. Students could use cell phones, iPads or Play Station Portables for vocabulary, to do research, to learn how to properly communicate with others, play educational games and much more. A bonus is that students would be less likely to lose their homework this way.
Unfortunately, not all students have the same opportunity to use and own technological devices. For this reason, traditional learning cannot totally be eliminated. As a first grade teacher, it can be extremely difficult to use individual technology devices constantly. Students need to be taught routine and basic concepts. Anytime I use technology, I have to take a lot of time from teaching content. Therefore, there needs to be a good combination of digital and traditional learning.
I believe today's students have a different culture than any generation before them. They live in a world of instant gratification; Google this, YouTube that, tweet how I feel, and Facebook my 1000 friends. They are conditioned to have short attention spans, requiring constant stimulation.
ReplyDeleteThe classic lecture and notes offers little stimulation and gratification for the digital native. For years teachers have used this same lesson format. Many teachers continue to use this format and wonder why the students are not engaged.
I would suggest breaking the class up into ten minute sections. Incorporate digital technologies such as interactive white boards, a student response system, streaming digital media, and digital games. The utilization of digital mediums has made my classroom successful at engaging the digital native generation.
Moodle, Google, Wiki, Seamonkey, and many more things you would never have imagined were actual technological tools. Many of us educators though familiar with these things, certainly remember a world without them. That makes many of us “digital immigrants.” In contrast, many of our students are what has been referred to as “digital natives.”
ReplyDeleteThe term digital native refers to people young enough that they don’t remember a world without being fully immersed in technology. PBS.org explains, “Digital Natives aged 12 to 24 spend 4.5 hours a day viewing screen media (TV, Internet, Internet video, mobile video), excluding games ”and “82 percent of seventh- to twelfth-graders "media multitask" while doing homework, e.g. IM, TV, Web surfing, etc…” (pbs.org)
We as adults are able to multitask in our classrooms everyday. I think our students are as capable as we are in that respect. I don't think it is any wonder we see these students check out and disengage in a lecture. If we don't accommodate this digital attitude at least occasionally we may lose them all together.
This year my school is going to a one to one initiative. My effort to address this digital age is that the majority of my units will be self-guided one note notebooks that will take students through the learning at their own pace and allow for electronic submission of all their work. They will also gain their knowledge electronically.
I have a hard time convincing myself that the students I work with everyday are consciously aware if they are multi tasking or not. I do not think they are aware that they can multi task several items at one time especially since they are only at the elementary school age. To me, it is something that is learned and something that takes practice. Although I classify myself as a digital learner, I found that if I multi tasked too much during high school or college when completing assignments, then I did not put my best effort forward. I personally do not think that a student working on the computer, surfing the web, texting, and watching a movie while doing homework will put forth their best effort. There needs to be a limit on how much work is done at one time as to not overwhelm students and confuse their direction of focus. I might be speaking from personal experience, but I think it is something that should be considered in this digital age world.
ReplyDeleteThis year in school I found that splitting time between note taking, lectures, and hands on activities helped to engage the focus of students. It has been interesting to see the focus capacity of students over the past few years. I do contribute a lack of focus at times due to short attention spans possibly caused by video games, computer, and even television. To help cope with this, I try to complete as much hands on activities I can (whether they be computer related or not), so that everyone has the chance to learn in a different way. I do not necessarily think that having lecture classes is going to hurt those who are digital learners; instead, these lecture classes need to not be everyday. It is important to accommodate all types of learners, and to do so requires several different types of lessons. As teachers we cannot construct lessons that are always lecture and note based. If we do so, then we will truly hurt those students who are digital learners.
I found in the past that lecturing or teaching a new concept lesson two days a week worked well for students, especially in math class. I would introduce the topic, show students examples, have them take notes, practice the concept on paper, and complete book work on these lesson days. Then the next day or two was spent on a variety of hands on activities to practice that specific concept. I would use dry erase boards, SmartBoard games/activities, Senteo Smart Response Systems, computer games, group work, and even station work to help practice the concept. I was very pleased with the progress I found with this method. The students were able to stay focused on the lesson days and enjoyed putting the new concept to practice in the various activities throughout the week. I was always a student who enjoyed working with hands on activities because I could not always focus on lectures so I wanted to design my classroom this way as well. I think it is important that teachers get to know their class so they can design their lessons to meet their needs. Granted we are in a digital world, so we need to incorporate technology into our classroom. If we do not, we face the potential issue of losing students, especially those digital age learners, because we are not meeting their learning needs.
I believe that multitasking for anyone often creates a quantity vs. quality issue. While some students can read e-mails, watch movies and converse while finishing their homework, what is the quality of the work they produce? It also makes me question the quality of the homework assignment- if a child can do all of that while still completing it, is it a meaningful assignment, or just busy work?
ReplyDeleteI do not feel that we are working against their cognitive or digital learning style by placing them in a traditional learning environment. An effective teacher uses a variety of learning styles in their classroom to reach all learners. That being said, technology is a large part of our lives, and should be embedded in what and how we teach our students when appropriate.
Technology, no doubt, has enhanced the way I teach. I cannot imagine going back to the way I taught ten years ago. That being said, if I only used technology in my classroom my students would be missing on other educational opportunities and learning experiences that would help them prepare for their future
Hi Shelly,
DeleteI agree with your statement that multi-tasking is a quantity vs. quality issue. As I stated, many dinners have been burned in my house due to multi-tasking. In order for me to do something well, I have to give it my full attention.
Colleen Pagano
ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is not a new issue that teachers have been learning to help students with because of the digital world. When I was a student teacher 15 years ago, several of the students were diagnosed with ADD. Back then, technology was not even close to what is going on today. While many students have learned to multi-task to some extent, I don’t believe they have learned to rewire their brains. Prensky wrote about how parents were amazed that their child could text to several people and do their homework at the same time. This does not mean that they are giving their full attention to either subject (multi-tasking have ruined many dinners in my home). They have to stop one thing to do the other. While many could say that adults are doing the same thing in different ways. For example, a teacher might be working with 3-4 students on different projects at once. Sure it is not being done electronically, but they are multi-tasking just the same.
ReplyDeleteThe traditional learning environment might be difficult for some students for different reasons. Some students have disabilities, some are exposed to computer graphics that don’t compare to a lecture, while others fear the social dilemmas associated with life. However, as the article by Prensky indicated, the social dilemmas are not an issue in the tech world because it is all about you are who you are in the tech world. I’m not sure what to make of this because at some point, you have to learn how to interact with people in a face-to-face setting. I don’t believe (in my time) we are all going to be at home working/living through a computer, but you never know. I hope not as we are social beings who need to interact with others.
There has always been a difference in how each student learns. Digital technology is another tool teachers can use to help students capture their best way of learning and showcase their skills/talents to others. In order to reach students of today, I try to use my limited knowledge of technology to my advantage. I use the webcam in my classroom to help students create presentations because writing is so difficult for them. However, I use graphic organizers first so that the students establish the content of their presentations. I also use learning games to reinforce the skills I have taught.
The digital age is upon us and students and adults love their gadgets. Computers have changed the way we do many things, but I’m not confident enough to think that students’ brains have been rewired. That seems like a leap of faith to me.
ReplyDeleteI know students multi-task on their phones and computers but I still think that our brains have to attend to a first priority. This is very evident while driving and texting. We may be able to do it some of the time, but it’s dangerous because we really can’t simultaneously do both. I equate this to how it works in the classroom.
The fourth graders I teach have difficulty with many of the integration strategies needed to be successful in this digital era. For example, students must be able to evaluate and analyze all the easily accessible information. Students have so much information literally at their fingertips, and they don’t have to exert much effort in locating it. The effort lies in making sure the information is a valid source and accurate.
Just because these digital kids are able to multi-task doesn’t mean they are solving more difficult problems than before or that they are capable of working more successfully in groups. This reminds me of that commercial for a car company where the parents are out having fun experiencing life with friends and the kid is at home bragging about how many friends they have on Facebook. Students still need to be mindful of their learning and teachers should apply effective techniques to motivate and incorporate digital media.