21st Century Learners - Engage or Enrage
What is your belief and understanding of the nature of today's learners?
I believe and understand that the nature of today’s learners is diverse, innovative and involves ICT. All learners want to be engaged with exciting content that relates to real-life situations, explore this content through innovative and entertaining pedagogy and this occurs when ICT is embraced and is used as an integral part of learning.
Is there substance to the "engage or enrage" argument?
Yes there is. These day’s learners expect to be engaged otherwise they become bored and enraged. Through the “arrival and rapid dissemination of digital technology” (Prensky, 2001), learners are becoming accustomed to instant information, diverse information, a digital language. They use “computer games, email, the Internet, cell-phones and instant messaging as integral parts of their lives” (Prensky 2001). They are the digital natives. Their thinking habits and patterns have changed compared to their predecessors, their digital immigrants, and they have formed a new language, a digital literacy. Learners from today expect to be engaged rather than the kids back then who were “less rich in media, less rich in communication, much less rich in creative opportunities for students outside of school” (Prensky, 2005).
There is a widening gap between the use of ICT in personal and social settings to formal educational settings. As discussed by Kukulska-Hulme & Traxler, “the rapid adoption of social technologies has resulted in a widening gap between the culture of the educational institutions and that of learners’ social lives” (Margaryan and Littlejohn, 2008). We are noticing and recognising that outside the formal setting of the classroom students are actively learning and participating “their way through complex multimodal environments, while in school they are expected to submit to a pedagogic
regime” (Margaryan and Littlejohn, 2008).
Students are using ICT as a social tool, however are integrating them into a educational environment by using texting as an interactive device with other students. When they will meet for study group, they also email each other their work for proof reading. ICT is changing the perceptions of students learning styles and patterns. They can gather and create their own knowledge which promotes High Order Thinking and are able “to make sense of their complex technologically enriched learning environment” (Margaryan and Littlejohn, 2008).
Researchers suggest that “students do not posses “a deep knowledge of technology, but
have a good understanding of what it can or cannot do for them” (Margaryan and Littlejohn , 2008). However, 21st Century Learners expect to be taught in a traditional manner at school, they believe that when they enter a formal educational setting that they have to conform to the ideas of formal education. We are not teaching students how to use their ICTs in an educational setting which does not have to be rigid and serious but fun and exciting. If ICT motivates our learners in a social setting, why not incorporate it into a educational setting where students are exited and motivated to learn. “Students appear to be slower in developing adequate skills in using information technology in support of their academic activities" (Margaryan and Littlejohn, 2008), we need to engage our learners and make students aware of the educational benefits that ICTs can have on their learning.
I agree with Margaryan and Littlejohn that students are not participating in all technologies, they use technology as a way of sourcing information but most students do not share or collaborate online. This suggests to me that as teachers we have a duty to introduce wikis and blogs as a learning tool. Even though, students are not using blogs and wikis, doesn’t mean they don’t want to, they need to be taught how to use these functions and how these ICTs can improve and enhance their learning. Yes, there are low levels of usage within blogs and wikis but how come there is such high usage within ICT where social networking is concerned? It doesn’t mean students are not still enraged or just passive learners, they need to have the opportunity to participate in blogs and wikis. I have just been introduced to my first blog and wiki two weeks ago. I would have never used one before and never intended to. Now I realise how useful they are, how easily accessible they are and how students can share and become active in their learning.
Are the Engineering students more technologically-savvy and do they use technologies in more profound ways than Social Work students?
This particular statement has made me think and evaluate that there should be different learning styles to cater for when using ICT.
I am considered to be a digital native, born after 1980. I have only used the likes of Blackboard at university in my first degree and I only used it to link to online readings. I have never been shown how to create and use information communication technology, only access it.
The thing I find demanding about ICT is there is so many options, so many forums that you become overwhelmed. I have to be strict and just pick out the learning tools that help me learn because I understand that a VLE, virtual learning environment has to cater for a range of learning styles.
I have felt with the tasks however that there is support for all students with sharing and collaboration of ideas but with so many ideas you can become confused and frustrated that you are not on the right track or haven’t grasped a concept as well as you thought. This can be daunting.
“The findings show that many young students are far from being the epitomic global, connected, socially networked technologically-fluent digital native who has little patience for passive and linear forms of learning (Margaryan and Littlejohn, 2008). We cannot assume that all digital natives have access or understand this new ICT language and literacy.
Margaryan, A. & Littlejohn, A. (2008). Are digital natives a myth or reality?: Students’ use of
technologies for learning. Retrieved from
http://www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/anoush/documents/DigitalNativesMythOrReality-MargaryanAndLittlejohn-draft-111208.pdf
Prensky, M. (2005). Engage me or enrage me, what today’s learners demand, 60-64.
Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf
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