Mobile Technology in TAFE

Planning and writing a series of posts during the 31 Day Project was hard! But the pro was how incredibly rewarding it was — helped me focus, I reflected on my knowledge and research what I didn’t know! So I have decided that for me it is a practice that I want to continue. [image by Sydney]

So this week, I’m going to take a look at how Web 2.0 tools are being used in education. And just to give you food for thought - I decided to start off my first posts NOT TALKING about Web 2.0 and instead TALK about using technology with students.

Years ago, before I became involved in e-learning, when I was asked to take some of the aquaculture computing class it made me feel really stressed. WHY? Because these students had grown up with computers, they had used them all through school. SURELY they would leave me crying behind in their dust because they had to be absolute GENIUSES when it came to using computers compared to poor old me who still can’t to this day use a graphics calculator!

What I now know is our greatest misconceptions of the so-called digital natives (people who have grown up immersed with technology) or Generation Y’s (the Internet Generation) students relate to our belief that they have a high level of digitally literate and actually want to use technology.

The reality is our students are fantastic at using technology how they want to use it e.g. SMS or IM friends and are much more comfortable using it. They have no fear that the World is going to end if you press the wrong key or install the wrong program! But it DOESN’T make them they are good at using it how we NEED THEM to use it or that they want to USE IT!

And just in case you are planning to argue that technology levels are a reflection of the fact they are TAFE students (vocational education and training) Kate Foy is observing this with her University students (Fear of the tech god, My Adventure Continues or The Horses Are Drinking and How Digitally-Native are Gen-Y?)

My fears years ago had no basis — I have not yet meet a student who is better at using technology than me and this includes students that were required to use a laptop for every class. Saying all this however if you use technology effectively with your students and demonstrate the benefit to them it definitely does engage them.

I strongly recommend you listen to this interview with Becky Saunders on the use of technoloy with students. Becky facilitates instructional intelligence workshops for TAFE lecturers. In the interview she explains how we need to consider the needs and wants of our students when using any teaching strategy with students.

FINAL POINT

WHY did I want to talk about students digital literacy levels?

Because many lecturers that I interact with fear engaging with the use of technology with their student because of THEIR BELIEF that their students technology skill level has to be better than theirs. My advice don’t be frightened! Start by using the tools in your personal life or to manage your workload and as your skills increase you will soon see how it can be used with your students!

Since Marc Prensky’s presentation I have been involved in some interesting f2f discussions on the validity of Digital Native-Digital Immigrant ((digital immigrants = those of us who were not born into the digital world and digital natives = generation that has grown up in the digital age). Thanks Graham Wegner for your great post Digital Whatevers which has prompted me to post my thoughts.

Many of those that argue against Digital Native/Immigrant term being valid feel the same as Karyn “Why should late adopters have to start where the innovators and early adopters did? They’ll jump straight in at the point that these leaders have reached, and pretty soon be indistinguishable from them!” That an immigrant who is good at using technology is no longer an immigrant and is no different from an native.

The real issue is not about the digital natives ability to use technology but the fact that “today’s students think and process information fundamentally differently from” the most of their teachers i.e. how our students learn is very different from how their teachers were taught and how their teachers learnt.

Image from Terry Wassall blog (Leedsblog Community Spaces)

I am really good at using technology (considerably better than most my students) but how my brain works, how I learn and what engages me is a World apart from my students. My use of technology has helped me relate better to how my students learn because as my digital literacy increases how my brain functions has changed (e.g. I am so used to rapid response and multitasking that I find it extremely difficult to sit and just listen to other people’s lectures as my brain can not power down). However there is still a divide between me and them. Here are some examples:

• They are good at using technology for their intended purposes - but not always good at using it for our purposes
• For me listening to music while working means I can not focus however for many of my students it actually helps them focus
• I know that books in our library contain more information and will help my students complete their work much faster than using the Internet. For them - using the books is like asking them to visit Mars (actually they would not mind visiting Mars). For them getting the information from a text book is considered unengaging and too hard compared to using the Internet

I am a Digital Immigrant. I will use the term to remind myself that I do learn differently from my students and it is important to understand what engages them. My use of technology does help me relate to them better but the most important thing is make time to talk to them about what works/what doesn’t work for them and not stop asking them the questions.

Maybe Darren 5th reason Why Every Teacher Should Blog is to reduce the divide between the Digital Native-Digital Immigrant.