The document discusses the concept of "digital natives" and "digital immigrants". It argues that today's students think and process information differently compared to the past due to growing up with technology. It suggests educators need to develop teaching methods tailored for digital natives that incorporate more technology and interactivity, rather than expecting students to adapt to traditional teaching styles. The document also addresses concerns about students' attention spans, arguing their spans are not actually short but that students choose not to pay attention in traditional settings that lack interactivity.

4. Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants The Natives have grown up surrounded by and using digital tools . Without these tools they cannot do everyday tasks. Digital Natives are our teenagers. In my opinion, SMP and below for National Plus schools are pure Digital Natives. We are the Digital Immigrants .

6. Digital Immigrant Digital Native

7. Should the Digital Native students learn the old ways, or should their Digital Immigrant educators learn the new? What do you think? So what should happen?

8. We need to invent Digital Native methodologies for all subjects, at all levels, using our students to guide us. Marc Prensky

9. Why?

11. The brain constantly reorganizes itself all our child and adult lives, a phenomenon technically known as neuroplasticity.

12. Linear thought processes that dominate educational systems now can actually retard learning for brains developed through game and Web-surfing processes on the computer. Children raised with the computer - think differently from the rest of us. They develop hypertext minds. They leap around. It’s as though their cognitive structures were parallel, not sequential.

13. What About Attention Spans? We hear teachers complain so often about the Digital Natives’ attention spans - is it really true? Sure they have short attention spans - for the old ways of learning, says a professor. Traditional schooling provides very little of this compared to the rest of their world. Their attention spans are not short for games or for anything else that actually interests them. Digital Natives crave interactivity — an immediate response to their each and every action. So it generally isn’t that Digital Natives can’t pay attention, it’s that they choose not to.

15. Frontline Documentary First Video Second Video What are the connections between this film and Marc Prensky’s articles? How do you use technology in your school? Discuss http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/

16. We need to think of ICT as a tool, not something to be learned. Stand alone computer lessons are no longer effective. Think of the computer as a pencil. How would it be if our students had to wait once a week to use a pencil

17. We need to aim towards a paperless classroom. This indicates that we are using technology. This is me giving out my Grade 3 homework.

18. We need to invent Digital Native methodologies for all subjects, at all levels, using our students to guide us.

19. How I have tried to accommodate Prensky’s theory in my teaching practice. What’s a blog? Two classes two blogs 60,000 kilometers apart ... A blog is an online journal, a website, a portfolio, an online identity ... What do you need to create a blog? My Grade 3 class blog http://mrsjane3.blogspot.com Grade 5 http://mrsjane5.blogspot.com A computer, an internet connection. Blogging is free! Blogging is simple and it’s a great way to give students an online experience.

20. So what can you do? Read Prensky’s latest article Turning On the Lights Make a blog for your school and encourage your teachers to make a class blog. Questions?