DIgital Cultures and Capablities, Assignment 1

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Australian Catholic University *

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104

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Medicine

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Oct 30, 2023

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docx

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REFLECTIONS REFLECTION 1 Are digital natives a myth or reality? Description Digital Natives are those who grew up surrounded by digital technology. This driving question asks whether digital natives are a myth or a reality. Through unravelling the true meaning of “Digital Native” we discuss if this is all a myth or if we are facing a reality. Feelings I believe digital natives are a reality. Reading Prensky, M (2001)’s article, educated me on the true meaning of a digital native and I am able to relate my own experience as a so-called digital native to his opinions and ideas. Before being knowledgeable of what digital natives are, I still had an idea that those who grew up surrounded by digital technology, learnt and lived differently from the older generations. Evaluation Through Prensky’s article he strongly portrays his beliefs surrounding digital natives and supports these ideas with scientific citations. Through his research, it is understandable that digital natives are a reality. In his article, he talks about learning and digital technology in education. Prensky states that “Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.”. This is credible through his research in that “brains have physically changed… thinking patterns have changed” (Prensky. M, 2001). Dr Brude D Berry states that “Different kinds of experiences lead to different brain structures” proving that Prensky’s idea surrounding Digital Natives is a reality. Prensky discusses the idea of “digital immigrant” teachers, not adapting to the new approach in education, as they cannot understand the difference. “Digital immigrants don’t believe that their students can learn successfully while watching TV or listening to music because they can’t.”. Through his sources, his beliefs are credible and well-explained but can be extreme when discussing the downfall of education, because of our educators. Analysis Through Prensky's article, he validates his ideas through scientific research of Digital Natives and immigrants. I can make sense of his work through the evidence provided by Dr Brude D Berry (Baylor College of Medicine). Although Prensky’s ideas can be proven accurate, his ideas surrounding the education system’s downfall due to digital immigrant educators can be extreme. Without the educators we have today there would be nothing, although some may not be able to understand the difference between Digital Natives’ new educational environment, most are trying their hardest. Relating my own educational experience with Prensky’s beliefs, I can agree for the most part. Although digital natives seem to be a reality, some can still learn through the old way of educating such as reading and writing. The concept that Digital immigrant teachers are the downfall of education is extreme as they may not be helping make it better, but they are not making it any worse. Education is growing and changing every day through the new tools and resources from digital technology. Those who have grown around this environment are different to those who have not.

Conclusion Prensky strongly discusses the fact that digital immigrants will be and are the downfall of education as digital immigrants should learn the way their brain has been trained. He supports this idea with evidence from science saying “The brain has changed… different experiences lead to different brain patterns”. Digital Natives are certainly a reality and the educational system will have to evolve due to this. Action Plan Supplying the demand for digital technology to digital natives will solve the downfall of education. As Digital immigrants are the currently said downfall, we cannot do anything other than educate them on digital natives and how they learn differently. Until digital natives are able to be teachers, this problem will reoccur. Putting digital technology in learning practices will help make learning easier and under stable for digital natives. References Digital natives? (n.d.). Aifs.gov.au. https://aifs.gov.au/research/family- matters/no-91/digital-natives Prensky, M. (2001), "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1", On the Horizon , Vol. 9 No. 5, pp. 1- 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816 REFLECTION 2 Risks to self and others in the digital environment. How has digital technology impacted us as teachers and our work environment? Description Through this driving question we question how digital technology has impacted us as teachers and our work environment as well as discuss the risks to self and others in the digital environment. Through answering this we explore technology surrounding education and its impact whether positive and/or negative. Feelings I believe there are both positives and negatives to technology in the classroom. Digital technology has completely changed the profession of teaching and has created helpful tools for learning, but it also can come as a huge distraction to students. Although there are many negatives, the positives of having digital technology in the classroom tend to out way the downsides. Evaluation Through deep evaluation of resources, there is a clear battle between the positives and negatives of digital technology and how it affects teachers and the workplace. Through Widman’s TED talk (2020), we can outline the positive ideas suggested by Widman. He states that “Technology can be infinitely beneficial” whilst discussing the fact everything is at the click of a button. Thanks to the advancements in digital technology, teachers now have access to numerous educational resources that can be used to enhance teaching and learning experiences. Digital tools such as virtual whiteboards, online learning systems, and video conferencing platforms allow teachers to connect with students in various locations

remotely. According to a report by EdTech Magazine, 73% of teachers believe that technology has improved their ability to respond to the individual needs of students. Digital technology can be majorly beneficial to intertwine with learning as it is effective, easy and fun for students to use and creates more engagement in the workspace. Although digital technology has many positives and is revolutionary to the educational environment, there are still many negatives. Widman confidently suggests the fact that “Technology can make it easier to cheat”. There are not only negatives surrounding student work but also the teacher’s work. Because of technology, it has been easier for teachers to create plans, grad and communicate however, this means they are expected to be available all of the time. This leads too increased workload and potential burnout. A more common negative is distractions in the classroom. Being able to access work online also means being able to access entertainment online. A lot of students take this to their advantage in times they aren’t supposed to. There are many more negatives to digital technology in the classroom, but overall, the positives will always outlay the negatives as it just has to be excepted because of the evolution of education. Analysis There is a clear divide between the positives and negatives of digital technology in classrooms. From my own experience as a student, I believe the positives out weight the negatives as digital technology makes things a lot easier and everything is in one place. Through Widman’s TED talk, I was able to compare my experiences as a student and comprehend my future as a teacher with the ideas of technology in my own classroom. Conclusion Overall, I believe Digital technology impacts teachers and their workplace majorly. Although some have adapted to this through the evolution of education, there are still many positives and negatives to sway the use of technology in the classroom. Action Plan To help reduce the negatives surrounding technology in the classroom, we can implement more locking mechanisms on distractions. This can also include plagiarism checking and reference checking. This creates an environment in which students are forced to do work first. References Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods . Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, Oxford Brookes University. Previously, R. T. T. R. T. is a web editor for E. F. on K.-1., Podcasts, S. H. P., Maryl, written for several publications in, Washington, D.C., & Pittsburgh, her hometown of. (n.d.). Playing with Ed Tech: Using Digital Tools in Kindergarten Classrooms . Technology Solutions That Drive Education. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2021/12/playing-ed-tech-using- digital-tools-kindergarten-classrooms Widman, S. (2019). Technology, The best or worst thing for education |

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