Digital+Natives+in+the+Classroom

** Digital Natives in the Classroom **

 * // How is the presence of digital natives in classrooms significant for teachers? //**

Times have changed. So have students and their educational needs. According to a report by the American National Center for Educational Statistics in 2002, “there has been an undeniable and disturbing decline in student satisfaction with school.” [1] In the year 2000, only 26% of American students felt that their schoolwork was meaningful (In 1983, the was 40%).[2] Only 21% of students felt their courses were interesting, and 39% believed that their schooling would be important for their lives.[3]

Marc Prensky, originator of the term “digital native,” asserts that these students are dissatisfied with school because our current pedagogy no longer addresses the educational needs of a youth who is living in the new digital world.[4] Digital natives, he reminds us, “are used to receiving information really fast. They like to parallel process and multi-task. They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite.”[5] In short, teachers are in the classroom with students who no longer speak the same educational “language.”


 * // What can teachers do to effectively engage and teach digital natives?[[image:DI.jpg width="117" height="120" align="right"]] //**

The most obvious answer is to try and incorporate digital technology into classrooms. Many options have been made available already: computer labs, digital projectors, “SMART Boards” (electronically interactive chalkboards), and video conferencing can be found in schools across North America, and in many other parts of the world. Teachers can also incorporate into the learning environment, “the same combination of desirable goals, interesting choices, immediate and useful feedback, and opportunities to ‘level up’ (that is, to see yourself improve) that engage kids in their favourite complex video games.”[6]

Reaching digital natives does not require teachers to become “techo-geeks,” or to be able to understand and operate all of the various forms of modern media.[7] As Harvard professor John Palfrey emphasizes, “The technology should not dictate to us how we use it. We should instead ask the questions: ‘What do we want to accomplish in the classroom?’ And ‘Can technology help us?’ And if so, we should use it.” [8] For examples of how technology can be incorporated into a lesson click on __Sample Lessons~ Education and Technology__.


 * // Is there anything left to teach students about technology?[[image:DN.jpg width="137" height="130" align="right"]] //**

As digital natives, modern students are exposed to far more types of digital media than the older generation. [9] To youth, author Don Tapscott explains, “digital technology is no more intimidating than a VCR or toaster.” [10] For this reason, few students would require their teachers to explain to them how to operate these new types of technology. However, as in the past, educators will need to instruct their students use media to find and interpret meaningful data. [11] Technology instructor Timothy VanSlyke reports that, “…while most of the younger students were proficient in using the Web, they could not adequately perform advanced searches or evaluate the validity of the resources they found.” [12] Just as in the “traditional” classroom, the teacher must model critical thinking and research skills to help their students process the large amounts of data that they will encounter.

In addition to showing students how to use technology for higher learning, teachers should also ensure that their charges are using these devices responsibly and safely. A large part of this task is educating youth about online privacy. To learn more about the privacy dangers associated with using the Internet, click on __Privacy in a Digital World__.

[1] Jim McLeod and Karen S. Henderson, “Unleashing the Digital Teacher,” //The Medium//, 45:1 (Summer 2005), 10 [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] Mark Prensky, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants,” //On the Horizon//, 9:5 (October, 2001), 2 [5] Ibid. [6] Mark Prensky, "Listen to the Natives," //Educational Leadership//, 63:4 (2006), 11 [7] McLeod and Henderson, 10 [8] Kurt Eisele-Dyrli, “Educating Digital Natives,” //District Administration//, 45:10 (2009), 25 [9] Ellen Johanna Helsper and Rebecca Eynon, “Digital Natives: Where is the Evidence?” //British Educational Research Journal//, 36:3 (June 2010), 515 [10] Don Tapscott, //Grown Up Digital: how the net generation is changing your world// (New York: McGraw-Hill Books, 2009), 2 [11] Eisele-Dyrli, 26; Timothy VanSlyke, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Some Thoughts from the Generation Gap” //The Technology Source Archives// May/June 2003, 2 [online] Available from: [] [12] VanSlyke, 2
 * all graphics are the original work of the author