If I had to classify myself as either a digital native or digital immigrant, I would say I'm a digital native. I'm actually probably somewhere in between the two categories. I don't play video games now and didn't play them that much as a kid, I do use the internet, and am some what proficient using computers. I am not very into social networking; call me a digital immigrant but there is something about talking to another person that is more personal than sending a message on facebook. In order for me to bridge the digital gap between myself and my students I must meet my students where they are in the digital world.
Prensky (2005) touches on that when he says "Students certainly don't have short attention spans for their games, movies, or Internet surfing. More and more, they just don't tolerate the old ways-and they are enraged we are not doing better by them" (p. 64). For my physical eduction endorsement area I feel limited on how I can engage digital students. Physical education is about being active, not sitting infront of a comuter screen. I have come up with some ideas though: putting skill development videos on my website, or letting them listen to their Ipods as they are running. Math is my other endorsement area, I could try and incorporate digital math games as much as possible or have homework problems come from my website instead of a math text book. Prensky (2001) says "We should be focusing on "future math"-approximation, statistics, binary thinking.
I have had some experience with digital learning when I was going to school. The first experience being in elementary school playing a computer based game called "Oregon Trail". The object of the game was to get your w
agon safely from the midwest to Oregon. It was a fun game and I learned alot about what pioneer life was like. In High School I don't remember using technology that frequently other than giving power point presentations. In college I had afew projects where I had to produce a video of a sports related skills and edit it to show how each step was executed. I think all the technology I was exposed to as a student fostered positive learning.
agon safely from the midwest to Oregon. It was a fun game and I learned alot about what pioneer life was like. In High School I don't remember using technology that frequently other than giving power point presentations. In college I had afew projects where I had to produce a video of a sports related skills and edit it to show how each step was executed. I think all the technology I was exposed to as a student fostered positive learning. If teachers don't meet their students where they are than their not engaging students the way students want to be engaged. Prensky (2001) sites Lightspan Partnership's "findings were increases in vocabulary and language arts of 24 and 25 percent respectively over the control groups, while the math problem solving and math procedures and algorithms scores were 51 and 30 percent higher" (p. 6). The digital student is only going to increase with time and teachers must do their best to foster learning in these students.
It is interesting to think about how to tie tech into PE. I, for one, don't want my PE activity to be sitting in front of a computer! I like your ideas about using the videos and such.
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