Diana_Prentiss_Web2.0



I can really relate to this article, having two high school students who constantly text, change their status on Facebook and Twitter, and then call their friends to talk about what they saw on twitter! We as parents and educators have to learn how to keep pace with these learners and the technology they use. We have always heard about how technology is growing but some of us are not growing with it. I also agree that the pedagogy is not progressing rapidly but the technology is not waiting for it either. It pays to spend time on these websites, which have taken the place of talking to parents and teachers about the problems and joys of life. I haven’t been texting that long but I’ve always had a problem with them texting so many misspelled words, using incorrect grammar and all the acronyms like smh, lol, idk and so on and so on. I’ve even been teased about using correct grammar because it makes the texts too long. This is a country of convenience right? Don't we want everything abbreviated to maximize time and opportunity?

While I do thing that addressing the needs of these learners is important, just like all learners, there are different learning styles and needs. The two most important statements in the article to me are: Two factors will drive the adoption of a pedagogy that accesses the strengths of N-Gen learning styles for education. First, faculty members must spend time in the learning spaces of N-Gen students in order to develop an understanding of how N-Gen literacy and learning styles develop. We need to experience these learning spaces as learners before we can understand how to use them as teachers. Even though Vickie was successful in her use of technology, everyone may not have the same success. I would love to be able to use this technology if it was allowed in the school district and I think slowly but surely it will happen. I know there is a push to move SOLS in a direction that is more relevant to the student’s environment and that includes more use of technology. We also need to start small, maybe at a technical center or specialty technology program to closely monitor the potential success.

While I don’t think the particular lesson that Vickie teaches applies to my specialty on my grade level, it may apply to a higher grade level because almost everyone uses cell phones. Kids also have to be taught the difference between school and home use for this type of technology. I do wish it would be taught though because I think it would foster more organized, qualified productive citizens. Considering this is our future, I want someone who knows how to make it a good one.

Just looking at these websites kids use and the speed at which they use them tell me that I need to compete with them to keep up. It would also be nice to be able to monitor their use during technology activities to see how they communicate with each other. Our district is visibly behind the others- they can't even get the computers to us in time to stay up to date with technology! lol, smh 