Digital Natives

Digital natives are students today who have only known the world that includes smart phones, PCs, Google, IM, social networking and such. Getting information from books is almost a foreign concept; their primary source of information is from some digital device. The challenge for today’s teacher of digital natives is to be able to adapt and think of ways to use the latest technology teaching subjects like logic, mathematics, geography, etc.  Designing a curriculum where the primary source of information and learning is through a digital device is a hard concept and daunting idea for many digital immigrants whose only use technology as a second or third choices for information. Digital native learn better from processed that are random and visually let them explore, like many games.

The technology used when I was in school was prehistoric be today’s standards, we used slide rules instead of calculators. We had things called film strips that were premade series of slides with an audio background. We only used chalk boards, no white boards or overhead projectors. Children today might find it novel and cool for about five minutes before being totally tuned out and bored to death.

Digital immigrants like me must become proficient with smart board in order to create lessons that are dynamic and will keep students interests. We should use embrace creating lessons in a game format, and design project that require the use of technology with a purpose.