21st Century Learners

"So hi there, I'm the tuned-out kid in the back row with the headphones.  Are you going to engage me today or enrage me?  The choice is yours" (Prensky 2005, p. 64).

The arguments that Prensky presents are valid when looking at the overall picture of today's learners.  Prensky notes that learners today have changed from those of the past and unfortunately, the education systems can no longer 'teach them anything.  This is because the focus of the learner has significantly changed.  We have allowed technology to take over our lives and 'govern' the ways in which we learn.  Prensky labels todays students as 'Digital Natives' (2001, p. 1) which means that todays students have grown up surrounded by different technologies that were perhaps non-existant in the past.  Prensky also labels everyone else, or students of the past as 'Digital Immigrants' (2001, p. 2).  In other words these Digital Immigrants are those of us who find modern technologies foreign, and struggle to learn how to use them.

Prensky also mentions that the learners of today seem to rely on all kinds of technologies to learn, understand the ways in which things 'work', and in general, just to live their lives.  In many cases, as Pensky (2001) points out, the education systems that are in place, do not accommodate for the Digital Natives.  Many of todays teachers are Digital Immigrants, according to Prensky (2001) and they do not necessarily understand the natives needs nor do they appear to 'want' to.

Prensky (2005) notes that there are three types of students (or learners); "the students who are truly self-motivated ... the students who go through the motions ... the students who 'tune us out" (2005, p. 60).  It is difficult to attempt to engage each and everyone of these types of students, as many teachers are already aware of.  Prensky (2005) mentions that all students do things in their own lives that are engaging, but school unfortunately is not one of them.

In both Prensky's articles (2001 and 2005) he manages to make the same conclusion.  We need to create, invent and present the 'old' school curriculum in new, exciting and engaging ways.

I believe that Prensky's arguements are valid.  I recall going to school and being uninspired and unengaged because the content that was being taught was presented in an 'old style', 'old fashioned' way.  I also recall lessons that were the complete opposite, they were so much fun and engaging because of the way that everything was presented and the technology that was used.  And as a future teacher, I guess that one of my biggest responsibilities and tasks will be to ensure that I am successfully engaging the Digital Natives in my own classroom.

References:
Prensky, M 2001, 'Digital natives, digital immigrants', in MCB University press, vol. 9, no. 5, October, pp. 1-6.

Prensky, M 2005, 'Engage me or enrage me: what today's learners demand', in Educause review, September/October, pp. 60-64.