Last one for today...

I've seen the "Did You Know" video series. I always imagine this video used at 'back to school' in-service days. It builds the audience of teachers up with the call to change and then leaves them with no resolution. I see the series as a perfect introduction to technology focused professional development opportunities or an inspiring critique of education with little answers.


As for the obvious gap that exists between technology generations, I see it in my building every day. I have wrestless trouble with the terms, "digital native" and "digital immigrant". I understand their purpose but have issues with how the label is determined. By birth year, there are those who would be considered immigrants but are very aware of and intuitive with technology. There are those, by age, who are considered natives but hold the same skills as "immigrants".Though the two terms are often true in my experiences, they leave me feeling a bit ageist. I see a label as being about where people are, not at what point on a divide their physical age places them.

The internet is used for social connection, online shopping and game playing; at least these are the three major categories for most of my students. Those who have limited access at home use the library or friend's computers. We have the challenge of taking this foundation and turning it into tools that are applicable for learning while trying to make it interesting. I see the tools that teachers choose to learn as personal because they need to speak to the teaching style of the teacher as well as the learning styles of their students. Another major component of closing the gap is trust. Trusting students to be independent learners is a huge step for many teachers. Giving up the control and letting your students have it can take time for many.