Net Gens have a “different brain structure”? (Tracey & Tania)
I don’t know if I believe Net Gen’s brain structures have changed. Does evolution work that fast? I am one of the first ones to start researching a project via Google or UTS Online Library – it’s easier!!! As Tania says don’t carbon date digital natives. Surely we all use technology when given the time, opportunity and motivation to do so…
… once we’ve picked the Net Gen 1 up from swim training, dropped Net Gen 2 off to Soccer Practice, packed Net Gen 3’s bag for Year 5 camp tomorrow, shopped, washed, cooked dinner …
In their future careers, will the Net Gen’s be glad we have taught them via IM and blogging and reinforced their ‘distractability’ or is it lack of attention span. Depends on their career choice – journalist or IT Professional – probably not, surgeon – hmm?
As one experienced teacher said “they either love you during the year and hate you after the exams, or hate you during the year and love you after the exams”. Once curriculum is not pressured by external exams and we can follow student-directed learning and interests then this will be a lot easier to do. But when you have your department head’s plan for the term with Lesson 1 Place Value, Lesson 2 Comparing Decimals, Lesson 3 Adding and Subtracting Decimals, Lesson 4 Multiplying and Dividing by powers of 10, Lesson 5 Multiplying by Whole Numbers and Decimals,…. What about rural schools vs wealthy city-based schools? I agree with Tracey’s posting on this one – the widening social divide.
Engagement, ah… that is another kettle of fish…
