The title of this post presents a very well-known dichotomy as regards the
use of technology and learning processes nowadays. There is an interesting article
written by Mark Prensky in 2001 which states the emphasis on how different students are now from the students 20 years ago (even though the article was written 15 years
ago, it is still current).
However, our opinion differs from the author’s, at least in
our teaching contexts. It is true that there are schools where students have smart phones,
computers, tablets, laptops, access to Internet at home and at school they also
have computer labs, internet connection, interactive whiteboards in the
classrooms,etc. Most of them have grown up with technology all around, and have the stereotypical characteristics of Digital Natives... but there are schools where the majority of students have no access
to Internet or computer at home, they don’t have even smart phones, and attend schools where the budget goes to more urgent things than a computer lab (these are the characteristics of most of the state schools in Argentina). In
this context, as you may imagine, we cannot say that people under 18 years of age are Digital
Natives with all the characteristics that this term implies.
But we totally agree with the need to empowering students' learning through
technology. This means to make the learning experience richer and accesible, because society demands
those characteristics from our students, no matter where they come from and how
many hours they can spend in front of a screen in their lives. More than
knowing Maths and Science, they need to know where the reliable sources come from and how to read and write in a computer (not in the traditional sense, but in
this hypermedia full of images, videos, links, etc.).
We, teachers (or future teachers), need to be updated, connected,
and, more important than anything, not to be afraid of technology in the
classroom. It is there already; let’s use it in favour of our teaching and learning! And where it isn't there, let's include it. It is not simple, but not impossible. It is part of our teaching to ALWAYS TRY NEW THINGS. So, depending on the context, let's give all our students a chance to try a different thing, and if something doesn't work, it's part of the experience. Digital immigrants usually have a different perspective.
If you like TED TALKS, here is a interesting one by Sree Sreenivasan about this topic.
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