E-learning 2 (05112010)

PART A: DIGITAL NATIVES

* What are some characteristics of digital natives? (What are they good at? What are they poor at?)

In short, digital natives are people who were born in the era where technology is paramount. They way they think, the language they use differs from others. For instance, digital natives tend to be more creative as they are able to see things differently and also make optimum use of valuable resources like the internet for example.

They are highly self-directed, since most information that they need can be found online. They are also good multi-tasker. However, their attention spans are short, and therefore, they are rather impatient. They see no point in attending a class that is boring or which only teaches factual information as the information can be found easily online, so there's no point in attending such classes. Additionally, one key 'flaw' of digital natives is their lack of reflection. In this world where everything has to be chop-chop-fast, one rarely has the luxury of time to sit down and reflect. Reflection might even be deemed boring and hence useless for digital natives too.

That said, digital natives are very internet-savvy and are likely to be able to adapt and do well in things related to technology.

One sentence that jumped out at me amongst the text was this quote by Peter Moore that, "Linear thought processes that dominate educational systems now can actually retard learning for brains developed through game and Web-surfing processes on the computer." I can't say I agree with the sentence totally as not everyone is technology-savvy though it's true that we should constantly be improving and exploring means to enable better learning. However, if we were to recall the days when internet was not invented.. does it mean that everyone back then did not have a good learning experience?

* Which portrait did you select? (In your blog, create a link to the portrait.) In terms of their digital background, how similar was that student compared to a Singapore student?

I chose Sam (http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-sam-video). Similar to a Singapore student, Sam spends a lot of time (+/- 12 hours on a non-school day) on the computer. The first thing she reaches out for when she wakes up is her phone. Personally, my phone is my alarm clock so that’s the first thing that I reach out for when I wake up and since the phone’s already in my hands, I check my messages/emails first before getting out of bed. The use of technology also induces creativity in Sam and allows her to think out of the box. This is similar to the way in how Singapore students generally like using all sorts of multimedia to do present their work or school projects. The use of different tools and strategies also aids in problem-solving.

Furthermore, like Sam, Singapore students are also exposed to technology softwares to aid learning such as audio books or even digital media like for instance music-creating softwares, Garageband. One important aspect of digital background is online gaming. Both Singapore students and Sam play multi-user games like Warcraft with friends and through such games, they learn how to work with others and hence promotes teamwork. Problem solving – using different tools and strategies to problem solve. The vital point mentioned by Sam is how her method of learning software is through ‘Trial and Error’. It MAY be similar to certain Singapore students in the sense that they are willing to go through the trouble of failing to achieve what they set out for. But like one fellow Singaporean entrepreneur J.K. Teo pointed out in an interview, ‘Singaporeans are afraid of failing, which is a necessary part of succeeding’.

* How might teachers in Singapore today engage and teach our digital natives?

Firstly, we have to understand our digital natives, like for example their needs and accustomed learning styles. Only then will we be able to design a lesson plan suited to maximize their potential and also one which will enable us to capitalize on their prior knowledge.

Next, the lesson has to be interesting to capture the students’ attention and to keep it simple, I think it can be done in two ways. One is to make sure the lesson consists of a fabulous content and two is to have an exciting presentation. The former is not hard to achieve, if not for the fact that internet provides almost any information one seeks to find. The latter, I would think is not as difficult, but it is like Dr Tan mentioned, easy to fall prey to the cool-tool-trap.

Also, though not easy, I think that it is crucial that we as teachers remain up-to-date with the current technologies. This will help us relate to our students better.

PART B: THE DIGITAL NATIVE'S FUTURE

* As you look into the possible future of the educational landscape, what sort of impressions, fears, or possibilities crossed your mind?

Technology will be of an undisputed importance in the future. There will be no definite constraints for learning as learning can take place anywhere, anytime and everyone can learn from anyone. Learning may also come in different forms and the importance of examinations will gradually diminish and be taken over by problem-solving assessments or course works. The possibility of having a paperless environment as envisioned in the video clip I shared on the previous blog post sort of pleases me as well, as not only will we be saving trees, we will also be able to do away with the extra weight of heavy thick notes and books.

* What might living, learning and working be like in the future?

Technology will be indispensable in all 3 aspects as technology enables better communication and accessibility among one another, be it in the community, educational system or work space. Technology will allow us to share knowledge and information with one another easily. It will also help us achieve greater efficiency.

* How is NIE preparing you to prepare your students in this possible future? How might you prepare yourself?

Through this ICT course, we learnt about the benefits of technology and also the possible concerns and netiquette issues that we as teacher have to be aware of. In addition, through such modules, we are exposed to technologies that we have never encountered for instance websites/software such as PBwork that will aid learning and collaborative skills among our students.

As mentioned earlier, I think that it is important for a teacher to be up-to-date with the current technologies so that we can relate to the younger generation better. Therefore, I will prepare myself by keeping an open mind and to take in as much information as I can. Additionally I believe that as we teach, we learn, hence I wouldn’t mind learning from my students too. Like what one of my lecturer always say, one got to ‘Read, read, read’ to improve, and so I hope to become a self-directed and motivated learner and will continue striving to learn new things and to gain new knowledge.