Response to Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

As a current college student and a prospective teacher it is easy for me to see how the brains’ of the Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants have changed causing different thinking patterns and informational processing.  I agree with the article which states, “the single biggest problem facing education today is that our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language, are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language.”  While completing my fieldwork I have witnessed the lack of interest in learning from the students and the lack of connection made by the teacher to the students.  In such a technology driven society, children have less interest in learning from textbooks and more interests in video games and computers.  As a prospective teacher we have to find out what interests our students and then intertwine it with education.  Even though I consider myself to be a Digital Native, and my students Digital Natives as well, neither the schools nor the Department of Education provides teachers with the resources or technology to reach their students’ interests.  This article also states “Digital Immigrant teachers assume that learners are the same as they have always been, and that the same methods that worked for the teachers when they were students will work for their students now. But that assumption is no longer valid.”  Two things need to be changed in order for teachers to reach and educate their students: content and methodology.  The article continues to list several ideas and examples of how to improve these two things.  After reviewing this list, not only do I agree with it but fully support it as well.  I believe digital reform is necessary in order to reach students.  When possible I will incorporate technology into my lessons to create a fun learning environment for my students.  As a prospective Digital Native teacher it will be easier for me to reach my Digital Native students through technology, video games and computers because I am most familiar with this.  As for the Digital Immigrant teachers it will be difficult to teach them how to use new technology because they were never exposed to it, however this is necessary in order to educate today’s students.  This is why the educational system needs to be improved and updated.  Students’ learning has changed, which means the teaching needs to change as well.  Every day society is becoming more and more technologically advanced, however the education system is not keeping up with society.  This is what is preventing students from succeeding in the classroom.  I strongly believe it is time for the education system to incorporate technology into education.  It is not only what our students are interested in learning from and about but is also what society is most reliant on.  Once the quality of education improves, so will the quality of our students.