Listen to the Natives by Marc Prensky

Overview:

Listen to the Natives by Marc Prensky is an insightful look into how best to engage our student's attention through updating our curriculum to include technology at every level of education. It is Prensky's argument that if our students are not engaged, it is because the educational system as currently excluding their input and expertise. He argues that if we use the technology that engages their attention outside of the classroom and give them further involvement in the format of the class we can make what they learn relevant to their lives and harnass their energy.

Reference Points:

1. Today's kids are natives of the technology era and are served best by what they know.
2. We are the foreigners in their world and must use their abilities to guide us.
3. Students are engaged by technology outside of school and if we use this same technology within school they will thrive.
4. If they are not engaged it is our problem, not theirs.
5. By using today's technology we can connect students where we live to students and adult mentors worldwide.
6. Technology can also make the teaching profession easier by connecting us to great teaching strategies that are being employed worldwide.
7. Using technology in the classroom can enable us to teach kids the life skills they need to know in school.
8. If we don't make these changes school will become outdated and useless.
9. Rather than make is against the rules we should encourage students to use technology, such as cell phones, in reasonable ways in class.
10. By giving students responsibility in the classroom we are enabling them to be their best.

Significance:

Prensky's article is highly relevant to the educational world we are entering. The old methods of teaching are becoming outdated and leave our students feeling excluded from the world of knowledge. If we are going to make lifelong learners out of our students we must follow their lead and plan activities that result in better understanding but that are also engaging to our audience. That being said, Presnky takes things a bit too far in my opinion. While we must help our students grow, this cannot be only in the field of technology. We need to remind our students that simple pleasures still exist and incorporate a dynamic of technology and old school education that keeps kids engaged without losing the more basic wonder that we grew up with. There are two sides to every argument and Prensky recognizes only one extreme. A more balanced view might better serve our students.