Marc Prensky Reflection

I am a “digital native” with a strong influence from my “digital immigrant” parents and grandparents. I had a portable CD player in my backpack everyday similar to today’s youth and their ipods and mp3 players in their pockets. I played a plethora of video games and watched TV everyday. Although I had digital native experiences all my life, I have always preferred the simpler, more authentic experiences. I would rather read a book (a REAL book with real pages that I could touch and smell) than watch television. I would rather go outside and climb a tree or play in a pool in the neighborhood than create a character that looks like me and climb a tree virtually in some online RPG. I was fortunate to have parents that also valued interpersonal and authentic experiences and limited the amount of time I could play video games and watch TV. They would only allow one hour per day on the computer or tv (unless we were doing something for class) and the rest of my free time was usually spent doing some kind of art project or riding my bike around the neighborhood with my sister and friends.
My feelings and thoughts regarding technology and education vary. It is no secret that “a really big discontinuity has taken place” and that “today’s students think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors” (Digital natives p.1); however, I still think that students should be able to access information in more traditional ways as well---not just “google it”. Teachers should teach old and new ways of finding information learning. Although some people think the old ways are obsolete, I still find importance in knowing how to look words up in an actual dictionary or encyclopedia. There is no reason why teachers cannot teach both ways and prepare students even more efficiently. As great as technology is, it is still not 100% reliable and should not be the main source of all learning. Even while writing this blog, I encountered an “error” and lost the first half of my work and had to start over---even though I thought it had saved. It is frustrating to rely on something that is not always efficient as the “old” methods.
As a student, I used computers to do online research, write papers, and create projects. We made videos, photo documentaries, power points, etc. I loved having the access to technology and the opportunity to create my own personal projects in creative ways. I am an advocate of using technology to engage students and create interactive educational opportunities; however, I still find value in the "traditional" ways of classroom instruction. I am currently a computer lab assistant at a public elementary school in South East Portland and utilize technology in the classroom setting every day---from math games to typing games and even testing. My experience in the school makes me view Prensky's articles in a unique light. On one hand, I fully understand and agree that large populations of today’s youth are extremely tech savvy and have tons of exposure to technology of all kinds. On the other hand, children of lower economic status are not as surrounded with said technology. It is incredible to see the contrast between individual children--some come in and can navigate the computer and internet with astonishing skill and efficiency, whereas others can hardly use the mouse or open a program. I think it would be detrimental to the lower-economic groups if education solely relied on technology or had "text message pop quizzes" (T4) because they have not had the same exposure as more affluent students.
In conclusion, I would love to see technology used in a beneficial and engaging manner in the everyday classroom setting but would want to weave it in with older, more traditional classroom techniques as well. Prensky says it best when he writes, "[a]s educators, we need to be thinking about how to teach both Legacy ad Future content in the language of the Digital Natives" (Digital natives, p. 4).