EDIM 508 Unit 1 Summary Posting

Media Minds: Students Use of Media Today

Ive enjoyed reading your discussions this week. I hope that the readings have better opened your mind to the
use of digital media and technological resources in education. Id like to highlight some outstanding thoughts
from this weeks discussion.

Adrian- Being an educator, it is expected that each year, each class, is in some way different than
the previous. Not only do we, as educators, have to keep up with the changing populations in our classes, but
also technology. The concept of digital native versus digital immigrants can potentially been seen as putting
the teacher in the student's shoes. Being a teacher of a subject or subjects, we have a good understanding of
how things are, where the student does not have much of an understanding. In this digital age, the students
come in sometimes knowing a lot more than the teacher, and it is our job as the teacher to find the best way(s)
to reach all of the students and get them involved.

Amanda- From the readings I realized I need to also change the

environment of my classroom. I can't expect my students to sit and work quietly
when at home they are multi-tasking. Even though I just don't understand how one
can read and listen to music at the same time doesn't mean I shouldn't allow my
students to do so. I have a "caught" my students various times sneakily listening to
a YouTube video while working (as if I can't see there's another tab?!) and asked
them to close the tab. I should instead embrace this idea as long as I can get them
to embrace the idea of listening to school-appropriate songs!

Amber- All of these factors should be clear indicators that teachers are going to have to make
some changes to how they teach our class full of digital natives. I look forward to learning new ways to be more
relevant and purposeful when using digital media in my classroom. I agree with Prensky that change is very
necessary to meet the changing needs of our students as their media exposure continues to rise and technology
continues to improve.

Andrea While students of this age may not be as successful at note-taking from a lecture or reciting
dates in history from memory, are these truly skills they will need in their future endeavors? Now they are able
to seamlessly search online for instantaneous answers to questions, while neatly and efficiently packaging their
findings into an easily accessible GoogleDoc, email, or text. Shouldn't we, as educators, be cultivating these
skills? The skills they will need to be successful in their futures?

Bianca- The implications for teachers after reading Prenskys (2001) and the Kaiser Family
Foundations (2005) material, are that teacher must be engaged continuously in the world of technology. If
theyre digital immigrants, then they must learn, and utilize the tools and skill theyve acquired by educating
themselves on the progressive digital world; it's already mastered by the digital natives. Teachers have to know
the facts behind media exposure, and how it impacts our youth based on their race, gender, age and
socioeconomic status; this information in necessary when orchestrating a plan to implement technology into
instruction and appease all learners.

Danielle- As teachers we need to make classroom implications

that meet the needs of todays student; the students typically know more
about the computers and iPads than we do as teachers. I like using new
applications with my students on their iPads that they dont always use in
other classes because it keeps them engaged and interacting with one
another. It always seems to work out that there is a student that is tech
savvy in each class and can go around the room to help out.

Elizabeth- When planning lessons, it is crucial to use

technology to motivate students, such as videos to go along with a textbook reading. It is also important as
teachers to understand how students multi-task with technology - that students can be messaging another
student a question about an upcoming assignment while watching a video about the topic, and skimming over
an article. Overall, technology is a driving force in society and in a classroom. As educators, it needs to be
used as a tool. It needs to be included into lessons and needs to enhance the lesson. Technology needs to be
matched to the level of students in the classroom and needs to be make learning motivating and relevant for
them. Technology in the classroom is crucial to preparing learners that will be successful in the real world.

Emily- For teachers the implications of this new type of student results in a need to change the
delivery of the material as well as content. Instead of the slow, step-by-step process of classrooms of the past,
teachers will need to communicate information faster and with more parallel learning and random access
opportunities. Teachers will also have to find new ways to teach the traditional content all while introducing
"future" content and ways to apply it to their world. The implication for teachers in this discussion is that a
major change is needed in order meet the needs of today's student.

Erin- While the use of technology was certainly growing rapidly at that point, I do not feel that it
had yet its greatest impact on the way our students learn. I feel that the advent to social media and the more
recent development of specialized applications for mobile devices has done a great deal to change the way our
students communicate, practice, learn, and create. Pensky also discussed the idea of Edutainment, and his
hope of its improvement in future. The concept of using a video game to help reinforce knowledge and develop
skills has modified into a plethora of applications, many created specifically for education.

Erin K- As an educator, it is my responsibility to ensure that my students are provided with the most
effective and engaging learning experiences possible. It is no longer okay for students to sit and listen to their
teachers lecture about a topic. Students need to be active learners and participate in the learning experience as
much as possible. We need to embrace the technological skills that the students bring into our classrooms and
allow them to incorporate them into their learning. However, in order to make the implementation of
technology effective, school districts need to provide educators with meaningful professional development
sessions focused on the integration of technology tools. This will help to bridge the digital native and digital
immigrant gap that many educators face within their classrooms.

Jennifer- As an adult, I am a little more hesitant with technology. I do not try to figure out things
on my own and do not play around with different computer programs. Instead, I will use youtube or google to
help show me how to do something with the computer. Many of my students and my own children will click here
and there until they figure out the program by themselves. I am too worried about deleting something important
or messing up the computer to just start clicking. I admire my students comfort level and risk taking with
technology. As an educator, it is my responsibility to recognize my students ability to use technology. I need to
continue to learn new technology in order to compete with the new inventions and to keep my students actively
engaged in learning. After all, I am preparing my students for a world in which their job probably doesnt even
exist yet!

Jessica- At times I question how will my students survive without

technology or the internet. Students are becoming accustomed to having the
ability to access anytime and anywhere, but what happens if for some reason
technology or the internet isn't available to them? What will they do? I feel
students should have some foundational skills to fall back on. However,
teachers can use the fact that their students are digital natives to adapt the
way they teach and embrace the use of technology and all that it has to offer.

Jonathan- With this being stated, it is important that teachers use

various types of activities to keep the students attention. Students today are constantly changing screens and
enjoy watching short, exciting clips rather than a video that has substantial length. As educators we need to
continue moving forward with converting ourselves to Digital Natives but also be able to relate to those
students that may be Digital Immigrants.

Julianna- It is no surprise to teachers that students approach to learning is different from what it
used to be. Students minds are constantly going and taking in information. Students are bombarded with
advertisements, new pop songs, television shows, and apps every day. Students come to school, ready to be
bombarded with information in new and exciting ways. However, students often come to school forced to
power down and remove all distractions. These students literally live off of distractions.

Katelin- Many teachers, myself included at times, worry about the classroom management aspect of
using technology in the classroom. This study further opened my eyes to the fact that the majority of my students
are used to doing multiple things at one time and engaging with multiple media at one time, so asking them to
solely focus on one task is essentially asking them to learn in an environment that is not best for them. The
article Tech and Touch further exemplifies this media-multitasking. Implications Allow students to learn in
an environment where they learn best, which might include multiple forms of media consumption at one time,
even some that seem off-task. Also, dont sweat the small things. A student quickly checking a score on ESPN
is not the end of the world (but do maintain a balance and be sure students are engaged in the task at hand).

Kelly- The key for educators, in my opinion, is that a balance is reached. There must be a balance,
between media exposure, and experiences using media in positive, healthy ways. There must also be a balance
between media use and outdoor experiences, real face-to-face interactions, and the development of other skills
not involving technology, such as leadership, positive role modeling, and helping others.

Laura- Many colleagues believe students no longer need to memorize

anything, because they have the internet. However, if one is going to become fluent in a
language, they must memorize content. I find that when I play games to learn or review
vocabulary or grammar concepts, there is typically more engagement than when I have
students complete a writing or speaking assignment. Students in my German I class also
enjoy playing the games in their online content and often reference remembering content
from those specific games.

Mark- We can no longer assume that students know a certain function or ability in technology when
it comes to having a digital native student. Granted, the reason they may not know how to attached a file to an
email is because this may be an antiquated way of doing things and if this is the case they maybe we, the digital
native educators, have entered into a new age and are actually a new version of the digital immigrants.

Nichole- Both articles make me believe that more research needs to be done on the impact of media
on the brain itself. At what point (if any) is there a decline in brain growth and development? Which form of
media is the most beneficial? Digital immigrants would most likely say print and music. However, digital
natives might say computers and iPads. The impact of digital media is going to be a never ending study that
will continue to grow as the field of technology grows.