Week 2 blog 4 21^st century learning

My last few blogs have been more positive and upbeat about web 2.0 and the way technologies are changing education and learning. Today I feel a little overwhelmed about it all because I don’t know how we can keep up. Technologies are supposed to save time, but it seems that we need to be on line more to check our networks. I can’t say that I agree with Prensky, who said that “Our children have changed radically.” I think the term “Digital Native” fits ok, but I agree with Howard Rheingold. I don’t think that students have changed so quickly from one generation to the next, but they have adapted quickly to the new technologies because of their novelty and fun. I probably would have adapted similarly if the same technologies had been available when I was growing up. As excited as I am about the way information can be shared and how people are being brought together, I’m also concerned about just how daunting the task seems to be to get current educators up to speed, myself included. And what about up and coming educators? Are they learning what they need to in their undergrad work to meet the new demands of 21^st century learning. I went back to school in 2003 to get my teacher certification and what I’m seeing now, just six years later, is taking what I learned about Multiple Learning Theory and Brain Based Learning and juicing it up with steroids and putting a rocket on it. It’s just crazy how fast Web 2.0 applications are influencing our society as a whole, not just the education profession. I like the idea of more people being in control and able to create and contribute, but I’m also scared that too many people are just going to believe everything that is out there on the web without thinking critically about it. Or even worse, discounting something that is true and good out of fear that it’s a sham.

References

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence Reframed: Multiple

Intelligences for the 21^st Century. New York:

Basic Books.

Jensen, E. (2008). Brain Based Learning: The New Paradigm

of Teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.