Both articles stress the importance of technology in the classroom. I agree, and have always thought the same as Josh McHugh's statement in iKid. "Teachers in every strata of education are increasingly dealing with a student population that is not only more wired than they are but also grew up in a techno drenched atmosphere that has trained them to absorb and process information in a fundamentally different ways." "You have to work with the kind of brains we've got now."
Today's students are used to be bombarded with information from every angle. They will be chatting online, watching television, and shopping on the internet, all at the same time. So, when they get to school, just sitting there and listening to the teacher talking--is not stimulating enough. It is not wonder that they whisper to their neighbor , or write notes to one another. Actually, they are probably text messaging each other. This is a hard thing for teachers to understand. And, as much as I hate to admit it, (because I do not thing that I am that far removed from them) me, too. I was expected to listen to my teachers for as long as they wanted to talk, and pay attention. I think that is no longer an acceptable expectation.
My teachers in the MAT program have said time and time again, that your students must be engaged in the material for them to learn. Technology is the best way to get them engaged.
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What a shift, huh? I have such a hard time dealing with students not paying attention to me when I talk. I'm just going to have to change my way of thinking. It's sometimes even hard for me during our Monday class when people are working at their computers during instruction. The constant tapping of keys sometimes drives me crazy. I have to remember that people are doing things that add to their understanding of what we are doing in class (hopefully!!).
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