Although I don't officially teach, I do work in an educational environment involving adults and children who use technologies to learn and communicate overall. Because of this, I can relate and understand the "Generation Edge" and differences from both children and adults. I am also comfortable in that respect because my profession that involves using technology to enhance communication and I fascinated with how it has evolved for learning.
I guess you can call the adults and children that I work my "students" with a main objective to gain knowledge for desired results. The video and articles definately describe my "students" who model "digital natives" and "digital immigrants". There is an obvious difference in understanding and learning with the generation gap of how they learn but he desired outcomes are still the same and that is to gain knowledge. I find it at times to be a bit challenging to teach "digital immigrants" for learning because of new technology tools that they are not familiar with and on the other side of the coin, "digital natives" are just as challenging at times to teach because of their lack of thought processing when it comes understanding learning differences and styles. Either way, there are understanding differences relating to their behaviors, characteristics and traits that are hard to combine.
Characteristics of my "digital immigrant students" are that they are comfortable, fast and quick to adjust with using technologies for learning. On the other hand my "digital immigrants student" have characteristics of being slower learners with technologies, are hesitant and intimidated with learning using new technologies, and don't have as much drive when it come to learning using new technologies. Although there are obvious learning differences, the results are still satisfied.
As with the articles and videos, the ways of learning is different depending on when you are born. There is a generation gap in perceived learning styles using new technology, but methodologies for learning is continuously growing for overall improvement of understanding and to come closer in closing the gap.
It's great to hear from someone who has experience teaching both children and adults, and specifically teaching technology. It sounds like you do see some learning differences between "digital natives" and "digital immigrants," similar to Prensky's argument, but you don't seem as convinced that we need to drastically alter the ways we teach because of this. Is this correct?
ReplyDeleteI also wonder whether some of the difference you see are due to age. By age, I do not mean generational label, I mean biological age as a factor in how people learn and behave. Would the digital immigrants have been as slow and hesitant to learn new technology if you could travel back in time and teach it to them as children or adolescents?
I also am curious whether you've seen any differences based on socioeconomic status, race, or gender. The Reeves articles makes a point that most generational research has overlooked these differences. It seems almost ridiculous to suggest that all young people are digital natives with identical relationships to technology, when some children of educated, middle class parents are given tablets and kiddie computer as toddlers, while some kids needs to go the public library to use a computer or the internet. In last week's reading, McKenzie also cited a 2005 study finding large variance in how much time children actually spent using technology such as TV or computer, and argues that "young people do not fit neatly into his "digital native" category." Have you seen large differences in how comfortable your younger students are with technology?
Dayna, you bring up some interesting thought provoking questions.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct; I do not think we need to drastically alter the ways in which we teach "digital immigrants". I do think the core to teaching comes from the root basics of print originated sources that cannot be eliminated. I do think that modern technology has enhanced learning to accommodate current society millennial patterns of life that in which we live. Regardless, we still have to go the root sources to even develop new technology advances. I personally think you cannot teach without this root foundation to start with. Example, I work with Doctors. Medical students today learn and are taught in part with using new technologies, but the foundation of their teaching and learning are from experienced old school Doc (digital immigrants) with some who not up to date with technologies at all. These medical students are required to learn from these docs. With this example, no drastic change has been incorporated for doctors to learn with these new technologies for teaching, but adjustments are made more so for the medical students to adapt to their old school learning styles. This example also related to age differences. My thought is that "experience is your best teach" not matter what age.
Related to my younger generation being comfortable with technology is that they adapt very well. I actually learn from them. I think the key to their learning is within their culture, environment and habits. As we know, kids follow and mimic surroundings. I believe that with the learning years, kids adapt to what they learn, around what they see.
Good questions Dayna....Thanks
I'm curious as to your thoughts about this always being the case. For example, the joke in the 1980's was always, "My kid programs my VCR." Does that make a GenXer a Native? I'm sure previous generations have similar examples.
DeleteLWOMACK,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the difficulty with the Boomers learning how to learn technology. Only reason I love learning new digital things however, I am on an college campus with all the technology. It have to be interesting to compare and contrast the children from the adults. I wonder if you have to change your teaching style for them? Please continue doing the good work!
Bridgette, I think all learning is derived partially from our environment. As you mentioned, "you love new digital things" and your environment is within a "technology" based campus. You have no other choice but to adapt to that technology environment.
DeleteTo change a Boomer's learning style for this adaption, I would start with basics:
1. The availability with on-one-on-communication with the instructor to assist with learning new technologies (I that think is key for Boomers
2. Adding a visual guide with learning information, (also think is key for Boomer learners
3. Shadow/tutoring collaboration assistance from a Millennial learner with new technologies
I know that it sounds like a lot but my experience with this type learning guidance seems to work.
LWOMACK,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the difficulty with the Boomers learning how to learn technology. Only reason I love learning new digital things however, I am on an college campus with all the technology. It have to be interesting to compare and contrast the children from the adults. I wonder if you have to change your teaching style for them? Please continue doing the good work!
Mirroring my previous comment, is the learning difficulty based on specific generations, or age itself? For example, teaching an older student piano or Spanish vs. a younger student?
ReplyDeleteDr. Siko,
DeleteMirroring your last communication and this one, my thoughts are that learning difficulty can be based from both, generation and age.
I am a coach for both adults and children. Although there is an obvious age difference, they both seem to learn, grasp understanding and respond at different levels. They also perform to my expectations form what has been taught. The difficulty for me is teaching both to perform at maximum level within the limits their physical capabilities. My younger students learn more from continuous practices, while my adult athletes learn better form practice, teaching videos and how to books. If this makes any since, this goes back to my thoughts of learning difficulty that can being based from both generation and age. With both, I think that the emphasis of learning difficulty is partially inclusive of the environment in which you learn and how the learning is delivered based on that environment.
There's a lot of research on 'deliberate practice' that probably plays a role in this discussion. It's the idea of focused practice for improvement (identifying problems and working specifically on them) vs. just going through the motions. We could argue that perhaps younger students are unable to do this on their own without proper coaching, whereas motivated adult learners can be more deliberate (I'm positing, not making any specific claims based on evidence).
DeleteIt was interesting reading your post because you did a direct comparison from my parents generation to my younger teenage brother's. My parents are constantly asking me to reteach them the same tech skills. My younger brother, on the other hand, I go to to learn about the newest hip-tech-tools my students are using. Fadin di that comparison too, but reading about your experience working with adults and children really made me recap and relate on the technology gap between my school parents and students.
ReplyDeleteRoso, there is a true connection with traditions and the way we learn. There is also a gap with teaching and learning for cross over generations as it pertains to communication using technologies. How we bridge this gap is something that I believe will be ongoing as long as technology grows. I don't think we rid of technology with communication but I do think we can understand it more with the basis in which we learn and for the most part from traditions.
ReplyDelete