Young Minds, Fast Times: The Twenty-First-Century Digital Learner

by Marc Prensky

Now a days we are living in a technological age, where there is no reading of books, students first learn to use the computer.  This is hard for many teachers who have been teaching for many years.  The basics are no longer the basics or interest of what the students want to learn.  

The article states: "We treat out students the way we treated women before suffrage."  Meaning students have no rights in school, by which I mean their ideas are not heard.  I agree that students should be allowed to voice their opinions and ideas.  I understand the feeling of being in a classroom where i am bored out of my mind and the teacher just drones on and on.  

What I like about this article is the fact that the students are allowed to share their knowledge and experience of computers / internet to teachers and parents.  Some questions that Marc asked the kids were, "What experiences in school really engaged you?  How do you use technology in school as opposed to out of school?  What are you pet peeves?"  This technique of asking the students how they feel about the subject, helps the parents and teachers reach the students perspective.  

I have done the same exercise in the past, with potential students for the University of Maine.  We have a student panel in which the students tell their stories and the parents are allowed to ask us questions.  Sometimes this is a very helpful way of getting a stressful situation down to ground level.  

"There is so much difference between how students think and how teachers think" said a female student in FL.  I thought that was a great statement from the student because it does put u in the perspective of how some students feel in class. When becoming a teacher, i need to keep this thought in mind.  Though i don't believe it happens as much in the younger grades as it does in the older.  

If we really think about it, computers are the second teacher at home.  They're like the new age tutor, or take home teacher.  The new age computer / internet system can also help out sick students.  No matter if the student is sick or not, their papers could still be passed in.