(In Digital Divide) Prensky, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” (3-12) & “Do They Really Think Differently?” (12-25)

The way that our generation (Digital Natives) and older generations (Digital Immigrants) learn is different. Our brains work differently because we grew up with different experiences. Teachers need to learn how to communicate in the language of their students. Today's students learn better in parallel than step by step. Students can learn things better and faster if it is presented to them in a more appealing way. Our brain is constantly reorganizing itself and changing. People that grow up in different cultures actually think differently. We don't have shorter attention spans, they are just shorter for the old ways of learning. Skills that new technologies have enhanced are often ignored by educators. Learning games should be real games with real content.
Discussion Questions:
1. How can Digital Immigrants effectively teach Digital Natives in their own language if Digital Immigrants' brains work so differently ?
2.Should students conform to educators way of teaching? or should educators conform to students way of learning?
Multitasking statistics of kids
Education video games effective if certain criteria are met
Preschoolers playing educational games