Pedagogy for Digital Natives
Prensky (2012) and Bowen (2013) both emphatically argued that instructional methodology must adapt to see to the needs of current and future students. As digital native students become the norm in traditional classrooms, it would behoove instructors to facilitate some form of digital engagement that would encourage students' active participation rather than passive disengagement. Bowen (2013) has argued that educators must establish some sort of sustainable pedagogy that encourages student retention, student engagement, and student success.
The question, then, becomes what kind of pedagogy do instructors adopt? On the one hand, it would be foolhardy to dismiss traditional foundations of education as being obsolete when there is empirical evidence that illustrates some of the methods work. At the same time, teaching by rote does not instill a great deal of confidence in students which becomes problematic for the institution's future success.
Since the argument has been made to create a business model for higher education, consumer confidence is a required component for institutional effectiveness. In order to fully integrate digital natives in the traditional classroom with digital immigrants, the pedagogy must become more adaptable and adoptable by instructors. Utilizing the basic premises from MOOCs, for example, will be a precursor on developing a working model within higher education. Creating specific learning outcomes that merge traditional learning outcomes such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration would be essential when combining with new instructional design practices. Most digital natives are extremely fluent with these skills; however, the application that they utilize is quite different from the digital dual-citizenry and digital immigrant.
References
Bowen, W. (2013). Higher education in the digital age. New York, NY: Princeton University Press.
Prensky, M. (2012). From digital natives to digital wisdom: Hopeful essays for 21st century learning.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
The question, then, becomes what kind of pedagogy do instructors adopt? On the one hand, it would be foolhardy to dismiss traditional foundations of education as being obsolete when there is empirical evidence that illustrates some of the methods work. At the same time, teaching by rote does not instill a great deal of confidence in students which becomes problematic for the institution's future success.
Since the argument has been made to create a business model for higher education, consumer confidence is a required component for institutional effectiveness. In order to fully integrate digital natives in the traditional classroom with digital immigrants, the pedagogy must become more adaptable and adoptable by instructors. Utilizing the basic premises from MOOCs, for example, will be a precursor on developing a working model within higher education. Creating specific learning outcomes that merge traditional learning outcomes such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration would be essential when combining with new instructional design practices. Most digital natives are extremely fluent with these skills; however, the application that they utilize is quite different from the digital dual-citizenry and digital immigrant.
References
Bowen, W. (2013). Higher education in the digital age. New York, NY: Princeton University Press.
Prensky, M. (2012). From digital natives to digital wisdom: Hopeful essays for 21st century learning.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Serena,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that we cannot and should not dump years of research-based best practices just because of the technological revolution. That is akin to saying black and white movies are not worth watching just because of their lack of color. I also agree that we need to adapt and adopt technology as it supports or enhances the learning environment. Critical thinking, communication skills, and learning to collaborate are still and will always be important components of a life-long learner (Prensky, 2012). Integrating these components with the digital skills the natives are accustomed to is the path most desirable. The issue is how to do that effectively, integrating them rather than applying them separately. In addition, those who are developing these new digital applications and tools need to be collaborating and co-creating with the educational researchers. So how do we get the black and white screen writers to buy-in to working with the developers of Technicolor to create an even more engaging yet still Oscar worthy product? Using digital technology for the sake of being progressive is not enough. The rigors of deep learning should not produce a cheap product for the sake of efficiency and productivity (Delbanco, 2013).
Great post!
Brita
References
Delbanco, A. (2013). Discussion by Andrew Delbanco. In Bowen, W. G. (2013). Higher education in the digital age (pp. 129-143). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Prensky, M (2012). From digital natives to digital wisdom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Serena,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! I do agree that there must be some common ground found between digital immigrants and digital natives. As the two groups continue to diverge, classrooms are still evolving with hopes that both can begin to understand the other’s perspective. Today’s digital native are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach (Prensky, 2001). What strategies do you feel would be effective in narrowing the gap between digital immigrants and digital native? If they cannot narrow the gap how do you feel the future of education will be in jeopardy?
Great work!
Rachel Davis
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. doi: 10.1108/10748120110424816
ReplyDelete Serena, you brought up some interesting points that Prensky (2012) and Bowen (2013) both discussed concerning how higher education must change its current methods in order to meet the demands of our 21st century students who live and breath technology. I agree with your statement that these students must be provided with an academic curriculum that incorporates the language they speak for better engagement in the classroom. But to add to your thoughts, I think this is also important in order to make their learning stronger and keep them engaged in conversation and school assignments in the classroom. I think this is particularly important for students who are talented and get bored easily with traditional forms of the school lectures we are used to. As you mentioned, traditional academic methods work, and it is not to say that we are recommending getting rid of these methods from one day to the other, but it is very important that we start introducing more advanced methods in the classroom to give students the freedom to use more technology and digital platforms for their own academic experience and future success. The workforce no longer cares if a student is proficient in Microsoft word office, there are new developments that are on demand and can serve students well in their future careers and provide the skills necessary to meet today's workforce demands. What strategies do you think should replace the memorization method in schools? and how do you think this would benefit students in their academic paths?
Awilda
Serena,
ReplyDeleteThe implications of the digital age on instructional methods and strategies, is that higher education institutions have to change methods of teaching and strategies of delivering lessons, in order to meet mostly the “digital natives” (Prensky, 2012), who have been shaping and will continue to shape the future of education. As stated by Rudi (2011), as technology continues to advance and become more accessible, those who study how children learn are developing fresh paradigms designed to reach the new generation of students dubbed digital natives. It is these new paradigms that will affect and impact changes in terms of instructional methods and strategies. What are your thoughts??
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. doi: 10.1108/10748120110424816
Rudi, A. (2011). Hybrid learning: How to reach digital natives. Learning Solutions Magazine. Retrieved fromhttp://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/765/hybrid-learning-how-to-reach-digital-natives
Dr. G