Comments on: Just How Digital Are The Natives? http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/12/14/just-how-digital-are-the-natives/ Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:39:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Dean Shareski http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/12/14/just-how-digital-are-the-natives/comment-page-1/#comment-8084 Dean Shareski Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:01:43 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/12/14/just-how-digital-are-the-natives/#comment-8084 I agree with Tom but my belief is that while the focus should be on teaching skills like collaboration, critical thinking, etc., Technology really does change things. It magnifies good teaching/learning and bad teaching/learning. But that needs to be clearly understood. Too many are operating under the premise that we just stick technology into our current mix and we'll be good to go. Sorry. Curriculum rewrites are critical and pedagogical examinations are as well. Both of these changes will be futile without consideration of where technology fits. I agree with Tom but my belief is that while the focus should be on teaching skills like collaboration, critical thinking, etc., Technology really does change things. It magnifies good teaching/learning and bad teaching/learning. But that needs to be clearly understood. Too many are operating under the premise that we just stick technology into our current mix and we’ll be good to go. Sorry. Curriculum rewrites are critical and pedagogical examinations are as well. Both of these changes will be futile without consideration of where technology fits.

]]> By: Tom Sheehan http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/12/14/just-how-digital-are-the-natives/comment-page-1/#comment-8083 Tom Sheehan Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:43:40 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/12/14/just-how-digital-are-the-natives/#comment-8083 Graham, This is a great blog. A great teacher will always be a great teacher regardless of the tools he/she uses. A great teacher is great because they build/create a dynamic learning culture with strong leadership and caring relationship. Your point about the future is certainly true. Each generation has faced new ideas and developments and then gone on to create more challenges and innovations for the following generation. No one knows but who cares. Teach kids how to work as individuals, when to cooperate and when to compete and more importantly when to apply which strategy. Tom Graham,
This is a great blog. A great teacher will always be a great teacher regardless of the tools he/she uses. A great teacher is great because they build/create a dynamic learning culture with strong leadership and caring relationship.
Your point about the future is certainly true. Each generation has faced new ideas and developments and then gone on to create more challenges and innovations for the following generation. No one knows but who cares. Teach kids how to work as individuals, when to cooperate and when to compete and more importantly when to apply which strategy.
Tom

]]> By: Bill Kerr http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/12/14/just-how-digital-are-the-natives/comment-page-1/#comment-8081 Bill Kerr Thu, 14 Dec 2006 13:08:03 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2006/12/14/just-how-digital-are-the-natives/#comment-8081 In Schools part of the problem is that computers are often used in trivial ways. This won't really change until we have one laptop per child, free software and enlightened pedagogy - the sort of ideas put forward by Seymour Papert and Alan Kay. I would see the digital revolution - the transition to "being digital" - as one that is maturing but has not really happened yet. I also see it as a "good thing", that it is leading to people being better informed, better educated and more free. eg. We can now all own our own printing press - it's called a blog. Some people don't like this (it's messy) but I think it's great. All revolutions are messy - there is some good in the old and some bad in the new - and a lot of people, including some young people, get left behind. The new technology corrodes the old institutions but they don't just adapt, they resist, all sorts of struggle is going on around the digital revolution - new and worse copyright law, media beatups about teenagers at risk, censorware (filtering), DRM as well as a lot of passive resistance and inertia I think progress has always been like that - messy, hard to keep up, lots of people don't like the old ways becoming not so important, old crafts and skills become not so relevant. Horse and carriage. Monks writing out the Bible by hand. In the old days progressives used to be burnt at the stake or shown the instruments of torture. Today, we only have to read the instrument of torture. It's called The Advertiser. There is only one thing worse than progress. That is not to have progress. Stagnation. Not moving forward. In Schools part of the problem is that computers are often used in trivial ways. This won’t really change until we have one laptop per child, free software and enlightened pedagogy – the sort of ideas put forward by Seymour Papert and Alan Kay.

I would see the digital revolution – the transition to “being digital” – as one that is maturing but has not really happened yet. I also see it as a “good thing”, that it is leading to people being better informed, better educated and more free. eg. We can now all own our own printing press – it’s called a blog. Some people don’t like this (it’s messy) but I think it’s great.

All revolutions are messy – there is some good in the old and some bad in the new – and a lot of people, including some young people, get left behind. The new technology corrodes the old institutions but they don’t just adapt, they resist, all sorts of struggle is going on around the digital revolution – new and worse copyright law, media beatups about teenagers at risk, censorware (filtering), DRM as well as a lot of passive resistance and inertia

I think progress has always been like that – messy, hard to keep up, lots of people don’t like the old ways becoming not so important, old crafts and skills become not so relevant. Horse and carriage. Monks writing out the Bible by hand.

In the old days progressives used to be burnt at the stake or shown the instruments of torture. Today, we only have to read the instrument of torture. It’s called The Advertiser.

There is only one thing worse than progress. That is not to have progress. Stagnation. Not moving forward.

]]>