EDIM 508 Unit 1 Summary Posting

Media Minds: Students Use of Media Today

Ive enjoyed reading your discussions this week. I hope that the readings have better opened your
mind to the use of digital media and technological resources in education. Id like to highlight some
outstanding thoughts from this weeks discussion.

Anna- In my classroom, it's never silent, unless we are taking a test or i'm giving directions for an
activity. I realize that the way I was forced to learn was not efficient for me, as I remember day dreaming and
having a hard time paying attention, so I refuse to teach my students the same way. In the world today
students are constantly communicating with each other, mainly with the use of technology. I might go as far as
to say that it's abuse to force students to not communicate for 7 hours a day, so I use this to my benefit and have
rich discussion, cooperative learning, and projects galore.

Ashlie- As we educators move forward with teaching students that are vastly different from
ourselves, we need to search for opportunities to integrate technology, games, and fast-paced learning in our
everyday lessons so that students are able to experience learning in a way that they are more familiar with and
find engaging.

Charles- Living in an ever changing world means we have to constantly change our teaching
strategies. We have to use methods that are appealing to our students, not necessarily appealing to all of us.
We have to learn how to reach the student who refuses to read, but has a mind that works in mysterious ways.
We have to make sure we are introducing students to skills they will be able to use down the road.

Daniel- Students today are being conditioned to think differently at

a young age, almost rewiring their brains. Students today are all native
speakers being taught by digital immigrants and maybe a few natives. Teachers
need to be flexible and adapt to new technology and try to learn. Teachers who
try to hold onto the good old days of education will wind up disconnecting with
their students.

David- Although an older teacher may not have grown up with a

smartphone and a laptop, this fact does not disqualify them in the utilization of technology in the classroom.
Most school districts have routinely offered technology training to staff members for a number of years.
Furthermore, staff members can take learning into their own hands by attending instructional tech conferences
and by perusing the multitude of resources available on the internet. Very simply, I feel that age is not excuse. If
a person wants to incorporate 21st century learning techniques in their classroom, the resources/supports are
in place to allow them to do so.

Emily- I still find that technology frustrates me as much as my

parents generation, often when Im attempting to learn a new tool/app or
something is not going smoothly. I can see the benefits of technology, but also feel that
some traditional teaching methods still have a prominent place in education (although
less and less through this masters program).

Kelly- Education is an evolving profession and digital media is making a

large impact on learning. Therefor as educators, we must grow and learn how to teach the students more than
just content, but how to use the digital resources and tools to enhance and reinforce the content.

Lisa- Keeping students engaged now creates a new challenge. I don't think "edutainment" is what's
needed in the classroom. Enthusiasm will keep students watching, thinking, and wanting to watch and to think.
The way we keep them stimulated is to be so ourselves. We love our jobs, we love our content, we love watching
them learn. Show it, and they will.

Matthew- As educators, we must meet our students where they are at. In today's day and age, that
is typically in the technology world. Students desire and yearn for web 2.0 tools, wifi, and collaboration. The
time for the days of traditional learning are limited! We all want our students actively engaged, and it is our
job to stay current with research practices and ways to accomplish this through the use of digital media.

Meghan- Todays learners are different. Is it that Digital Natives cant pay attention, or that they
choose not to? Often from the Digital natives point of view their Digital Immigrant instructors make their
education not worth paying attention to compared to everything else they experience (Prensky, 2001).
Administration needs to support our teachers through this change and provide the appropriate training and
technology tools to make this change possible and effective.

Nicole- Often teachers are aware that students today cant pay attention
because they are used to playing their games and being distracted by a million different
things flashing across a screen, but often,I think that we as teachers expect the students
to change and adapt to our traditional way of teaching, rather than us changing our
way of teaching to meet their needs.

Rebecca- According to Prensky, todays students think and process information fundamentally
differently (2001). This tells me that I need to keep my teaching style methodology current so Digital Natives
can relate and be interested in learning the information. I need to have a faster pace as students move quickly
in todays society, with more random access and less step-by- step (Prensky, 2001). Adapting material to include
a technological component can be one way to successfully start connecting with the students of today.

Stephanie- If a teacher is older and does not have a lot of experience with technology and the
media, than they may have a harder time adjusting to the needs of their students and using the media
appropriately in their classroom. If it is a more novice teacher who is more comfortable with incorporating
media and using it then having student experts as well in the classroom would not be to much of a problem.