The Nature of Today’s Learners.

I agree with Prensky, 2005, in that students can now learn in communities, libraries, online, on the bus or at home, yet we still have classroom systems where students are bored because of the amount of technical stimuli they get elsewhere. Today’s students are already literate digital learners. They take the world via the sheltered, not necessarily safe, environment of computing devices. These young, technology competent youths use mobile phones, Xboxes, Wiis and other gaming devices, laptops, computers, and interactive TVs at school, at play and at home. Many are multi-tasking, listening to music while text messaging friends while doing homework. Computers give students a modern medium to think, learn and communicate. I think this technology is a safe and non-threatening forum of communication in the fact that these devices allow students to learn with no pressure, it gives them time to think, reflect, brainwave, research and retract what has been said or written. The new age of technology we are surrounded by gives students a rich content of communication through shared networking, instant messaging and text messaging. They are exceptional communicators of their contemporary devices. Students can now access education through a vast range of environments. If we want engage students we first have to educate ourselves as teachers with the tools to implement exciting lessons with a variety of media to enhance the process of teaching and learning so we can teach students of today how to problem solve, create, demonstrate and collaborate information, technology and networks to secure themselves with life-long learning tools for the future. To prepare today’s students to find their way in the twenty-first century world, they will have to be literate in twenty-first century literacies. To be fluent in multicultural, media, information, emotional, ecological and financial cyber literacies will be commodities essential in their new knowledge based society.

This U-Tube clip shows what students are already doing with their digital devices and the are asking to be engaged, not enraged.