MID SEMESTER STATEMENT - Designing Learning for a Digital Generation

Analysis of literature and first hand experience through practicum has made me realize that Generation Y is a generation filled with and surrounded by technology, thus it is integral that I employ technology within the classroom, not everyday however throughout the course content to engage this new generation of learners. Unlike that of their predecessors, these learners are able to comprehend and absorb information whilst listening to music or watching the television.

I found the following articles (Rainie 2005 and Prensky 2001) to be extremely informative to help me understand the current generation.
That the students that we are educating are surrounded by technology therefore it is imperative that it is introduced and utilised in the classroom (Prensky 2005/2006) . I have come to realise having studied the literature and first hand experience at practicum, both teachers and educators need to re-evaluate their teaching practices and the way that information is provided to students. These digital natives are no longer engaged within classrooms, teachers need to engage these students to encourage learning – higher order thinking and deeper understanding of the content. In order for this to be achieved teachers need to be aware of the way these students best learn thus incorporate technology within the classrooms these students disengage if classes are not interactive (Oblinger. D & Oblinger J. 2005). Ask students how the technology best facilitates learning for them, how the information being presented to the students is similar to that of their computer games. Educating these students (the Y Generation) without technology would be similar to that of a plumber working without his wrench.
I as a newly qualified teacher will utilise what I have learnt in this subject and employ these methods into a classroom. I will allow for assessment tasks in which the students develop their own podcasts of the content, be it to encourage students into physcial activity or ways in which to improve adolescent health. I may even encourage students into blogging on topics thus to generate new ideas and broaden the scope of their congitive abilities.

I witnessed at practicum how successful a podcasting task was for the students. Not only did all students actively participate in developing their podcast, they even managed to hand it in on time! The school found that it was so successful that they were going to utilise the assessment for the following year. It is tasks such as these that I found to be effective and engaging to the students – the digital natives. I have realised that this generation of students view learning as a constructivist approach, a self directed learning task (Rainie 2005), thus it is integral that I keep this in mind when developing assessment tasks for these students. It is important to note that the students can challenge themselves to browse the internet for relevant information and seek guidance from each other. I as the teacher am more of a ‘support role,’ my jobs is not to provide the students with all the answers or spoon feed them, I am in fact there to guide them along the way.

Rainie, L. (2005) Life online: Teens and technology and the world to come. Speech to annual conference of Public Library Association. 23/3/06. Washington, Pew Internet & American Life.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–2.

Oblinger, D. & Oblinger, J. (2005). Is it age or IT: First steps towards understanding the Net generation. In Oblinger & Oblinger (Eds.) Educating the Net Generation. Educause.

Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), "How Academic Librarians Can Influence Students' Web-Based Information Choices," OCLC white paper on the information habits of college students, June 2002,

Prensky, M. (2005/2006) Listen to the Natives. Educational Leadership. 63(4), 8-13