week 2

The digital natives and Net Gen articles were very informative. The articles reflected accurately on how my friends and I are different learners than our parents. While I'm doing my homework i have myspace up and my cell phone next to the keyboard. My mom can not read the newspaper with the television on in the next room. She finds it distracting. I find that it is true what they say about the Net Gen's, we are more concerned about the speed at which we can get tasks accomplished then with the accuracy. The generation that I grew up in is completely wired. I would have a panic attack if I left my phone at home. I've already been late to work because i had to turn around for my phone. While in high school and college I always had the television on while I was studying or doing homework, it helped me concentrate, without it my mind wanders and i cannot accomplish anything. It is important to integrate technology into the classroom, we cannot expect children to forget that their phone is in their pocket and that it is an outlet from the boring class. The only thing that worries me are the generations to come. Am i going to be teaching biology via podcast so my students can sit in front of me for an hour with their ipod touch and watch me teach on a 3 inch screen instead of in person. Will the next generation need to attend school at all or will they switch to online only schooling. What happens to the social skills that students learn in an academic environment.