prompt #3

The only way to approach students who are digital natives is to become digital. As a teacher I must keep up with my students. That means staying relevant with the means they use to communicate, find information and find entertainment. In order to reach students and understand their world it is imperative that I, to some degree, am familiar with what interests them. Online communication is what interests digital natives. It is quick, it is personal and it is available through a variety of devices. This ease and availability is what makes online communication so popular among the generation of learner's on the go.

prompt #2

Bloom's taxonomy remains a useful tool in the 21st century. The lowest level of the taxonomy, knowledge/remembering may be outdated as search engines provide information almost instantly. It has been said that in the age of technology remembering or knowing information is not a necessity, but knowing where to find information and the ability to apply it is. Comprehension is still necessary as one cannot apply information/knowledge that one does not understand. If you do not know what a "tweet" is you cannot be expected to "tweet". Cellphones using 3G/4G technology are equipped with a multitude of functions. As a consumer you must be able to analyze your needs in a cellphone and analyze which carrier/cellphone will meet your needs. After analyzing you must be able to effectively compare and evaluate the information of several options. If none of the options fit your needs to your satisfaction the next step is creation. The digital classroom of the 21st century is no different. Technology must be understood, to some degree, in order to apply it, analyzed (dissected/compared), evaluated (effectiveness/relevance), and finally created or recreated (remixed) to meet the users needs.   

prompt #1

Technology moves fast and improves even faster. Why? It is engaging and interesting. It is immediate access to information varying in subject and content. Technology is instant, personal, self initiated, creative, and shareable. All of these characteristics are what drive American society and popular culture. Do American classrooms provide the same interest? How personal or self initiated is a lecture? How creative is a textbook? Lectures and textbooks are not hands-on experience. Technology is. Technology allows a creative outlet that lectures and textbooks don't. Students use technology to understand what other students are learning and how they are learning it and how that learning can be applied to life. Can't say the same about a lecture. What students learn from a 50 minute lecture they can Google in minutes. The knowledge attained can be shared with friends just as quickly. Students use technology, therefore, it is only logical that technology be used in classrooms to support and enhance learning. Technology is life and learning on fast-forward. America's educational landscape needs to move out of slow motion.