First days of school
So begins the experiment...
During one of our "teacher torture" sessions, I was able (or forced) to listen to a presentation by an outside individual about the idea of our students being so much different than us. This doesn't sound like a different concept, yet the speaker talked about how students today are hard-wired differently than students 10, 15, even 5 years ago. These students have not lived in an age where technology didn't exist. They have always known the internet, video games, television, and now all of the other technological advancements (I-Pods, Myspace, blogging, podcasts). He also mentioned that scientific studies are showing that the students of today are actually a part of the evolution of the human species; scientific studies show that their brains are not the same as the brains of students even 5 years ago. They are genetically different already. The speaker went on to challenge the educators of today to talk the same language as the students. Teach them using the very technology that they themselves use every day.
This is an experiment in that idea. My goal this year is to utilize the technology that students use in order to make them more critical thinkers, more critical media consumers, and also more adept members of the global society.
During one of our "teacher torture" sessions, I was able (or forced) to listen to a presentation by an outside individual about the idea of our students being so much different than us. This doesn't sound like a different concept, yet the speaker talked about how students today are hard-wired differently than students 10, 15, even 5 years ago. These students have not lived in an age where technology didn't exist. They have always known the internet, video games, television, and now all of the other technological advancements (I-Pods, Myspace, blogging, podcasts). He also mentioned that scientific studies are showing that the students of today are actually a part of the evolution of the human species; scientific studies show that their brains are not the same as the brains of students even 5 years ago. They are genetically different already. The speaker went on to challenge the educators of today to talk the same language as the students. Teach them using the very technology that they themselves use every day.
This is an experiment in that idea. My goal this year is to utilize the technology that students use in order to make them more critical thinkers, more critical media consumers, and also more adept members of the global society.