Being digitally wise

Today I would like to recommend a book: Deconstructing Digital Natives, (2011). The overall idea of the book states that the quote that identifies our students as “ digital natives” and us being “digital immigrants” is not so accurate anymore, now there is a better term. (I never though about myself as a digital immigrant really…)

Mack Prensky introduced the term Digital Natives back in 2001 and now has reconsidered the idea and suggested a new one: Homo Sapiens Digital. Our students should be digitally wise, meaning that ideally they should master skills related with:

1. Knowledge building (online, F2F, blended communication)

2. Remixing information to create new knowledge

3. Be aware of how they learn better (I think this is the most challenging one)

4. Accept differences within their own community…

And I could go on and on.. this is an endless list really. In general, I like the idea, although I don´t think that it is something really new, don´t we teachers try to do this all the time?... Think about it…

Just a few links to share with you:

1.Skills for a 21st century teacher: Online Universities

2. Graphic novels (comics, manga...) How to create them with your students?Any language and arts teacher interested? : Xispita

3 " Red social docente para una educación del siglo XXI.. how cool is that?: Interaula

Cheers!

Games in education? Sure!

I was lucky to be at the Games in Education conference this past August in Schenectady NY. I had the opportunity of learning form teachers and curriculum designers about introducing games as a vital part school programs. I also enjoyed my fist earthquake while we were in the auditorium…. not fun.

Here, with this post, I want to share with you this new way of thinking about video games, you can check out the skills that your students could develop by using them, and maybe start thinking differently about these learning platforms… I know, I know what you are thinking… what about addiction, violence, and sexism…?

My advice for the worried ones: first of all, look at the games, they are not necessary violent, they can look as innocent as a webquest through an imaginary world, or a mystery that needs to be solved. Really, we should overcome our prejudices, and I agree here with you that the media and advertisement industry is not really helping! But trust me, there are such a products with all the bonuses and none of the dangers, it is just a matter of really looking for them and spend time browsing what is out there.

Maybe this link will help you get started!

http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2011/08/25/how-video-games-are-changing-education/

An secondly, just don´t be afraid of trying new ways of using technology.. it might be a little bit stressful at the beginning, both you and your students will need to get use to the new activity, new settings, ways of assessing etc, but it will be worth it at the end… and you can become your school savvy-techy teacher.. How cool is that!

Assessment? Really?

We, teachers, are supposed to evaluate our students using the idea of competences and capabilities. Are we really doing it, or even trying?... Don´t worry I will answer the question for you... no, we are not! You may be thinking that it must be too difficult, time consuming, too complicated to do it. Well, maybe, but I think that the problem is that this new way of evaluating requires a change of mind, a 180 degrees turn to education.

Lets face it: to recognize that the way we need to educate and assess our students is different that 5 years ago, and that we need to become guides and counselors instead of "know-it-alls" (you know, sabelotodos in Spanish) it is difficult, I know, but we need to be aware that our students are living in a new environment, in a new social soup that offers them endless access to information.

Now it is my turn to be a little bit provocative: do our students really need to study multiplication tables, or country capitals like a 100 years ago?... are we aware of their needs for the future?

During our evolution as a specie it came a time when we stopped teaching our offsprings how to hunt or hide from some predators, because we did not have the need anymore, we were able to "control" the environment, our alimentation and predators much better... my question is... are we in front of a similar situation here? Is technology adding an elemental change in our specie? And the most important idea.. are we realizing it?