Reading Response 3

With the significant growth of technology in 20^th century, there is truly a new generation emerged. With the emergence of this generation, also known as the “Net Gen” or “Digital Natives”, numerous problems that related to education arise. This generation is surrounded by various technologies such as computers, PSP, Wii, Ipad even before they have developed a sense of right or wrong. So what should parents and teachers do about them? Do they just simply prevent these kids from touching any of those technologies until they grow to a certain age? Or parents and teachers should guide them to use technologies in a positive way? Those questions are worth to study. Once we develop an appropriate way to introduce technology to these young kids, I believe there will be a significant change in education and this generation will become the most productive and well-informed genius that brings benefits to our society.

In Andy Guess’s review of “Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives”, John Palfrey and Urs Gasser’s words indeed trigger me to deeper thinking.

“Technology is never a panacea. And technology on its own can do nothing; it's just a tool for teachers and students to put to work in support of how they want to teach and to learn. A realistic expectation is that technology may be able to help support your pedagogical goals, but it's not going to (nor should it) do anything on its own.” ----John Palfrey. With the new generation, their learning method differs from us when we only have teacher as a dominant role in the classroom and only material books for reference with homework. The children nowadays can access to internet way before they started school and they always can turn to internet for help if they need information for homework. So the teaching pedagogic needs to be changed. John Palfrey’s statement indicated that teacher should perceive technology in a whole new perspective to know the fact that technology cannot functions to reach a certain goal by itself and that teacher and technology should be integrated in class to help students comprehend learning contents. In a word, teacher should know how to combine technology to their teaching to help students yield maximum amount information from class.

To my understanding, educators and parents, the older generation, have a need to change their attitude and perspective of technology. Discarding the perception that technology is harmful in most learning environment or regards it as a distraction. They must face the fact that the new generation is growing up in a world dominated by internet and varying technologies and the issue should focus on how we guide them to use online information in ethically sound and lawful ways, to use technologies in a positive way to kindle and maintain their interest in learning and creative thinking, instead of preventing them from access to any of those technologies. As long as educators and parents have a correct view to technology, they will have a better understand of relations between education and technology and hence become a more instrumental guider to the Digital Natives.