While the common notion is that today's students have certain inherent abilities and an aptitude that is far beyond that of previous generations, I have seen a lot of variation and exceptions to this idea. While the Generation Edge student is starting to make its way into the high school classroom, the intelligence and aptitude of each of them vary widely. The videos and articles describe a student that multitasks and wants to be engaged with a group and technology. While it seems true and apparent to me that my students like to be engaged in technology, the engagement doesn't translate to academic media. Students have the ability to navigate social media sites and view and create videos to post on sites like Instagram, YouTube and Vine, but find it difficult to use those same skills toward any type of academic situation.
The truth is, many students have the ability to do exactly what the articles describe. They have the optimism and high expectations that drive them toward success, but there is also a large number of students on the exact opposite end of the spectrum. These are the students who can't find a connection to any material, who find a way to be completely inept with the same media with which they are "experts", who complain about the fact that everything is boring, but aren't willing to try anything out of the ordinary.
I found it difficult to read all the way through Prensky's article about digital natives without both agreeing and disagreeing with every word. I find myself in the fringe generation, living my entire adult life with all these digital tools but also spending most of my K-12 life adding new tools as they became available. I read comments like: "This doesn't mean changing the meaning of what is important, or of good thinking skills. But it does mean going faster, less step-by step, more in parallel, with more random access, among other things. Educators might ask 'But how do we teach logic in this fashion?'" and I have trouble understanding how true the comments are. While I see a group that likes to believe they are good multitaskers, I wonder if they just believe it, because they've been told that is part of their generation. I wonder this because I can see the effects of their attempts and dividing their attention. I see that listening to music can help them focus, but I also see that allowing this means time is spent finding a song, then finding another song, etc. to the point where splitting their attention means less time focused on the task given to them.
In the long run, I recognize that the profession of teaching is changing as the tools and students change. I won't try to fight to keep the "old world" ways, but I do question the validity of believing that students now can't learn the same way or use the same skills that were used 15 years ago. Sure, jobs are being created every day that didn't exist the day before, but at the same time there are many jobs that will remain and require skills that we're being asked to overlook, or move through quickly because our Edge students, in all their multitasking, information overload glory, simply aren't capable of learning unless it is fun. I feel the focus needs to be more on identifying a relevance for the student, than moving more quickly and less structured through material (that I don't have a choice in teaching because I am told by a set of standards what is important and relevant to them).
While this sounds like a whole-hearted disagreement or session of pouting about the changes required of teachers, its more of a recognition that change needs to be made, but an uncertainty of how to make the changes.
I couldn't agree more, change is coming sure, and they want it to be fun, but we are told what to teach and too often not given the tools to make it fun. Then we are the one that gets blamed and have to deal with the restless students. And yes I've seen them multitask, but as you said when they try it takes them away from learning. Now whose the one ranting, thank you for stating it all so well.
ReplyDeleteLet me start by saying that I couldn't agree more that it should be fun. Our job is not to simply pass on information but to engage students in a way that piques their interest and allows them to retain the information and use it to solve real world problems. My disagreement comes more from the idea that students have changed so much that it seems-from the first few readings-that there is no way for a teacher to reach them unless that teacher is willing to forget everything they've known and done in the past. I don't believe its about changing or retiring but about adapting the new technology to fit your style. If you've been a successful teacher in the past, there is no reason to believe that you can't use the experience and wisdom you've gained to reach the new generation. Changing sounds too much like forgetting what you've done and start fresh. Instead amend what you've done and incorporate new technologies-things you're comfortable with-to better engage students, but as was stated by Dr. Siko, we must ignore the media's opinion of the new generation and base our adaptations on proven, research-based methods and ideologies.
DeletePer my comment in the email today, multitasking may not be the best term to use. So, as you discuss this week, what should be the decision process or information gathering process for teachers to decide when to change and when to stand firm (with regards to technology)?
ReplyDeleteDr. Siko brought up some great questions about what the decision making process should be for teachers. Matt, you brought up that the question that this group has the ability to use social media websites to use on their own time, but have trouble applying those applications in an academic setting. There are ways to use it in an academic setting (youtube has educational science videos and students can use it to post science experiments for example). However, students must first learn how to do those science experiments, and like Dr. Siko pointed out, that would require some reading and learning (and simply copying another student off of youtube doesn't mean you've learned anything.) What about putting a complete presentation together? What elements are involved? Then that would require reading from a textbook and that's when the teacher would have to draw the line and perhaps use a Powerpoint presentation at the very least, along with a whiteboard, and handouts on what to do and how to do that experiment. They would have to learn which chemicals cannot be mixed together. The students should be allowed to post their experiment on youtube while putting together a report of their findings. That way, there is a limit on social media but the students are feeling involved.
ReplyDeleteYou also mentioned the group thinks they can multitask. This can't really multitask. I think with all of the apps on the devices that can run at the same time, everyone thinks they can multitask, but it's really causing them to not focus on whatever task is at hand (homework or work.) So many apps can run at the same time on various technological platforms, which makes both the Millennial Generation and even worse, Gen Edge think they are great multitaskers, but they're not.
Matt, I really enjoyed reading your blog-post this week. I literally had to "laugh out loud" when you brought up the point of students trying to simply listen to music while working on their classwork/homework. The same thing happens in my own classroom. Typically, I do not let the students listen to music, unless they are working on an independent assignment. When the students do have the opportunity to listen to music in class, there always seems to be such a process of finding just the right music for the moment. I always wonder how in the world the students can manage to ever study for a test, or do their homework when they have more distractions than just music at home. From my own experience, I can definitely see that teenagers are not very good at multi-tasking.
ReplyDeleteI teach mathematics to high school students, and I find that there are plenty of advantages to technology. However, students definitely need to be educated on how to effectively use technology within the classroom for educational purposes. The students in the district where I teach were all given a Google Chromebook to use both at home and in the classroom. Within the first day of the distribution of the Chromebooks, which was set up as an entire day for the students to explore the new technology, students figured out the best form of “passing notes” to their friends. With a shared Google document, students were able to message one another in a blink of an eye without ever picking up their phones. They were also able to bypass blocks set up by the technology department and gaming was going wild. I had to quickly devise a plan of action for the use of the devices in my own classroom. I decided that I was going to limit the use of the devices with my students. The students now know that they can use the Chromebooks before I begin a lesson, but I expect to see the "tops down" as we work on an activity in class, during lecture time, or as they work on an assignment. Unless a specific lesson involves the use of the technology, I have found that allowing the students full access to the Chromebooks during a class period can be a huge distraction. The policy that I adapted works great in my classroom and the students have adjusted well. I think that the Chromebooks are great devices and I try to integrate technology into my curriculum on a regular basis, but I also strongly agree that there needs to be some limitations.
So, what are some limits people could set with technology? And, by the way, the same thing applies in your grad classes that are face-to-face. How many people, of any age, have a screen up or are checking their phones during class (and yes, I am/was guilty, for sure)?
ReplyDeleteI think that teachers in a high school setting have to determine when they will permit access to technology within their own classroom, especially during testing situations. Technology can be a very useful educational tool, but it can also be very distracting. Prior to working on this blog-post, I left my I-Pad and phone upstairs, so the temptation would not be there for me. (Candy Crush is so addicting:) I know when I need to concentrate, my distractions need to be as minimal as possible in order for me to put forth my best work. However, I have found that the younger generations think that they can “multi-task,” but when they attempt this, they end up producing subpar results. My own children who would be considered “Generation Edgers,” need to have these distractions limited at home as well. If they are trying to study for a test, complete their homework, or read a book, we have to remind them to put away all of their electronics first and our T.V. goes off. When adults take a graduate class, attend a workshop, or an inservice, I think that it is no longer the responsibility of the instructor to tell the students to put away their technology. Unlike our students or younger generations, adults should be able to identify appropriate times to use the technology available to them.
ReplyDeleteI definitely was guilty of checking out anything that could. Some people could get away with putting earbuds in, but I was too scared of doing that. Of course, students tend to phase out when multitasking (playing games or tweeting) and tend to miss information that can be on a quiz or exam, then not remember if said information was covered in class because they weren't paying attention.
ReplyDeleteI think at the beginning of high school, they should have directions, but as they approach the latter years, responsibility needs to be learned. Students need to be prepped for college and if students miss information because they were too busy "goofing off," then it's a hard lesson they have to learn. No one's going to look over a student's shoulder in college and they should be prepared for the future.
I think all of us in our current class situation can agree that technology can be useful and that there are problems with implementation. I simply fail to see the true generational differences between the Millenial and Edge students. More than parallel thinking and setting multiple tasks, students need a connection. The problems in my class don't stem from a lack of technology or fun, but a desire - or more, a need - to connect to something. They need a reason why. If I can't relate a topic to them, the amount of technology or games involved are pretty much irrelevant. Our technology needs to be a tool to add to something we teach. Unfortunately, as we have all mentioned, it is really a distraction more than a teaching tool that is difficult to work around. Setting limits on technology use could be possible but I think your individual setting can dictate the amount of limitations needed. In a high school setting do you assign work with technology and allow them to hang themselves the first time to set a precedent? That opportunity arises at times but when do you take that chance, especially the way teachers are evaluated; are you shooting yourself in the foot? Are you risking a lot on the assumption that students will respond? It may be worth a shot, but I think it really depends on your situation.
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