Still busy, busy, busy and that's why I didn't write anything yesterday, and I cheated the day before.
Anyway, we've seen that today's kids learn differently from how we did. But, what exactly do we mean by learn? Actually, people learn now and have learned forever in exactly the same way: and that's by experience. What is changing now is how people uptake information.
If our kids uptake and process information in a different way, then it does no good if we go on teaching the same way we used to. There's no point in scolding or fussing or complaining that they don't pay attention; what we need to do is start speaking the students' language. And that language is precisely technology.
And on that note I will leave you until Monday. Have a good weekend!
viernes, 28 de noviembre de 2008
miércoles, 26 de noviembre de 2008
Tecnología en el aula Parte 3
Hello,
We're busy, busy, busy, here, so I decided to cheat a bit. I did a copy and paste of something for my thesis. Hope you don't mind.
Los alumnos que actualmente se encuentran en las aulas universitarias nacieron, en su mayoría, después de 1982. Ellos han tenido contacto con las computadoras, los teléfonos celulares, y otros aparatos electrónicos desde su infancia. Este contacto y uso frecuente de medios electrónicos de comunicación ha impactado la manera en que aprenden. Los actuales alumnos son activos, visuales, e inquietos, y buscan resolver sus problemas a través de la tecnología. No aprenden de manera lineal, sino saltando de tema en tema, según su interés (Ferreiro, 2006).
Una característica de la generación actual de jóvenes es que ellos prefieren determinar qué es lo que quieren y qué es lo que no quieren aprender (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005). Prefieren trabajar en equipo, buscan estructuras claras y parametrizadas; no les gusta la ambigüedad. Les gusta descubrir por ellos mismo e interactuar con la información. Tienden a experimentar más que a reflexionar. Se sienten más cómodos con imágenes que con textos escritos largos. Prefieren hacer más que discutir lo que van a hacer. Les gusta trabajar en cosas que valen la pena, prefieren realizar actividades auténticas que pueden ayudar a resolver problemas reales, de preferencia, difíciles. Todas estas características plantean un reto para el docente que está acostumbrado a dar una clase tipo conferencia, explicando datos, fechas, y hechos, mientras trata de mantener la atención de sus alumnos. Resulta imperativo buscar maneras alternas de trabajar en el aula.
La generación actual, la que ha sido denominada como generación Net (Ferreiro, 2006; Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005; Prensky, 2001), ya no se conforma con ser mero espectador o receptor pasivo de contenidos, busca participar en la creación de ellos: "La generación Net da un salto cualitativo al pasar de simples espectadores a usuarios con grandes posibilidades de participar, jugar, entretenerse, buscar, hacer, resolver, establecer relaciones, llevar a cabo proyectos conjuntos a pesar de la distancia y del tiempo" (Ferreiro, 2006, p. 76).
Esto se ve de manera clara en el ámbito de la educación, en donde exigen que, más que enseñarles, el maestro los entretenga, o les ponga retos que deban resolver. "…rechazan sin total conciencia los modos tradicionales de exposición…y por supuesto aquellos que enfrentan los procesos de educación formal…" (Ferreiro, 2006, p. 76).
En el ámbito educativo, el problema no es que "no ponen atención", sino que ponen atención a todo. Al mismo tiempo que atienden la clase mandan mensajes de texto por el celular, escuchan música, y tienen abiertos una variedad de ventanas en su laptop: "En fin, posee una capacidad de atención distinta a la de generaciones anteriores…” (Ferreiro, 2006, p. 78).
We're busy, busy, busy, here, so I decided to cheat a bit. I did a copy and paste of something for my thesis. Hope you don't mind.
Los alumnos que actualmente se encuentran en las aulas universitarias nacieron, en su mayoría, después de 1982. Ellos han tenido contacto con las computadoras, los teléfonos celulares, y otros aparatos electrónicos desde su infancia. Este contacto y uso frecuente de medios electrónicos de comunicación ha impactado la manera en que aprenden. Los actuales alumnos son activos, visuales, e inquietos, y buscan resolver sus problemas a través de la tecnología. No aprenden de manera lineal, sino saltando de tema en tema, según su interés (Ferreiro, 2006).
Una característica de la generación actual de jóvenes es que ellos prefieren determinar qué es lo que quieren y qué es lo que no quieren aprender (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005). Prefieren trabajar en equipo, buscan estructuras claras y parametrizadas; no les gusta la ambigüedad. Les gusta descubrir por ellos mismo e interactuar con la información. Tienden a experimentar más que a reflexionar. Se sienten más cómodos con imágenes que con textos escritos largos. Prefieren hacer más que discutir lo que van a hacer. Les gusta trabajar en cosas que valen la pena, prefieren realizar actividades auténticas que pueden ayudar a resolver problemas reales, de preferencia, difíciles. Todas estas características plantean un reto para el docente que está acostumbrado a dar una clase tipo conferencia, explicando datos, fechas, y hechos, mientras trata de mantener la atención de sus alumnos. Resulta imperativo buscar maneras alternas de trabajar en el aula.
La generación actual, la que ha sido denominada como generación Net (Ferreiro, 2006; Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005; Prensky, 2001), ya no se conforma con ser mero espectador o receptor pasivo de contenidos, busca participar en la creación de ellos: "La generación Net da un salto cualitativo al pasar de simples espectadores a usuarios con grandes posibilidades de participar, jugar, entretenerse, buscar, hacer, resolver, establecer relaciones, llevar a cabo proyectos conjuntos a pesar de la distancia y del tiempo" (Ferreiro, 2006, p. 76).
Esto se ve de manera clara en el ámbito de la educación, en donde exigen que, más que enseñarles, el maestro los entretenga, o les ponga retos que deban resolver. "…rechazan sin total conciencia los modos tradicionales de exposición…y por supuesto aquellos que enfrentan los procesos de educación formal…" (Ferreiro, 2006, p. 76).
En el ámbito educativo, el problema no es que "no ponen atención", sino que ponen atención a todo. Al mismo tiempo que atienden la clase mandan mensajes de texto por el celular, escuchan música, y tienen abiertos una variedad de ventanas en su laptop: "En fin, posee una capacidad de atención distinta a la de generaciones anteriores…” (Ferreiro, 2006, p. 78).
martes, 25 de noviembre de 2008
Technology in the classroom part 2
Well, as I was saying, I went to the literature and found that it's true, that the new generation learns differently from the rest of this, and this is because of the all the stimuli they've been exposed to.
Mark Prensky calls the kids born after 1982 "digital natives", while the rest of us are "digital immigrants". The digital natives have been using technology all their lives, so much so, that they no longer think of it as technology. Cell phones, for example, are not technology, they are indispensable gadgets to be used whenever they need to communicate with friends.
Those of us born before 1982 tend to learn in a more linear fashion: we go from point a to point b and then to point c. Our students, on the other hand, jump around from one thing to another: they learn in "hyperlinks"- that is, they start at point a, but there's no telling where they will end up or what points they will pass on their journey.
By the way, that's a hyperlink on Mark Prensky's name. If you click on it, it will take you to the article.
Another thing about these digital natives is their ability to "multitask", which means they can do lots of things at the same time: they are paying attention in class- believe it or not- at the same time they are doing homework from another class, at the same time they are surfing on the Web, at the same time they are sending text messages from their cell phones. It drives us crazy, and we can't possibly imagine that they can- and do- pay attention to us, because we don't work in the same way.
So what does this mean for the classroom? We'll talk about it tomorrow.
Mark Prensky calls the kids born after 1982 "digital natives", while the rest of us are "digital immigrants". The digital natives have been using technology all their lives, so much so, that they no longer think of it as technology. Cell phones, for example, are not technology, they are indispensable gadgets to be used whenever they need to communicate with friends.
Those of us born before 1982 tend to learn in a more linear fashion: we go from point a to point b and then to point c. Our students, on the other hand, jump around from one thing to another: they learn in "hyperlinks"- that is, they start at point a, but there's no telling where they will end up or what points they will pass on their journey.
By the way, that's a hyperlink on Mark Prensky's name. If you click on it, it will take you to the article.
Another thing about these digital natives is their ability to "multitask", which means they can do lots of things at the same time: they are paying attention in class- believe it or not- at the same time they are doing homework from another class, at the same time they are surfing on the Web, at the same time they are sending text messages from their cell phones. It drives us crazy, and we can't possibly imagine that they can- and do- pay attention to us, because we don't work in the same way.
So what does this mean for the classroom? We'll talk about it tomorrow.
lunes, 24 de noviembre de 2008
Technology in the classroom Part 1
I was away from the office for a few days, taking classes for the doctorate. I thought of writing from there and telling you about my research, but I didn't remember the password and I couldn't get in. This shows you that technology may be wonderful, but humans are still humans.
Anyway, I'll tell you what I'm doing:
I've been teaching English for 26 years and I thought I did okay, until I came to the University. I was working at a language school with adults who study English because they want to, and life was good. Suddenly, I'm in an environment with kids who study because someone says they have to, and teaching became work.
The biggest change I noticed, however, was that the minute I started doing a grammar explanation, the kids seemed to turn off. I tried explaining in many different ways, but couldn't seem to get through to them. At first I thought that they weren't used to having grammar explanations in English, but then I began to wonder if there wasn't something different in the way kids learn nowadays. I went to the literature and discovered that I was definitely on to something...
And I'll continue this story tomorrow.
Anyway, I'll tell you what I'm doing:
I've been teaching English for 26 years and I thought I did okay, until I came to the University. I was working at a language school with adults who study English because they want to, and life was good. Suddenly, I'm in an environment with kids who study because someone says they have to, and teaching became work.
The biggest change I noticed, however, was that the minute I started doing a grammar explanation, the kids seemed to turn off. I tried explaining in many different ways, but couldn't seem to get through to them. At first I thought that they weren't used to having grammar explanations in English, but then I began to wonder if there wasn't something different in the way kids learn nowadays. I went to the literature and discovered that I was definitely on to something...
And I'll continue this story tomorrow.
miércoles, 19 de noviembre de 2008
Starting Up again
Hello,
I've been playing with the idea of starting up this blog again. We had opened it last year as a way to promote an academic event we had at the University and pretty much abandoned it after that. However, with the work I've been doing on technology in the classroom, I think this is a good way to keep my hand in, to keep you informed, the share information and everything.
A blog is pretty much a public diary. Some people are very disciplined (and lead interesting lives) and therefore have lots to talk about and can blog everyday.
I won't guarantee everyday additions, but what I will try to do is share what is going on around here, share what I pick up when I go to conferences, share what I'm doing in my research, and anything else that maybe be useful. I welcome your feedback and comments.
I've been playing with the idea of starting up this blog again. We had opened it last year as a way to promote an academic event we had at the University and pretty much abandoned it after that. However, with the work I've been doing on technology in the classroom, I think this is a good way to keep my hand in, to keep you informed, the share information and everything.
A blog is pretty much a public diary. Some people are very disciplined (and lead interesting lives) and therefore have lots to talk about and can blog everyday.
I won't guarantee everyday additions, but what I will try to do is share what is going on around here, share what I pick up when I go to conferences, share what I'm doing in my research, and anything else that maybe be useful. I welcome your feedback and comments.
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