Adopt and Adapt

For this assignment, I chose to read Adopt and Adapt: 21st-Century Schools Need 21st-Century Technology, by M. Prensky. I really appreciated this article. I am assuming that Marc Prensky, the author, is a current teacher or administrator, because of the perspective of the article. This article really opened my eyes to the challenges of technological integration in today's classrooms. A lot of teachers who are currently instructing may fear using advanced technology in their class because their students are so far advanced into the technological field. The worry is that the teacher will no longer be able to instruct his or her students, and they fear that the education of the students will suffer. Growing up, I always wished that we would have had more time in the computer lab or working with something associated with technology, even something as simple as the projector. Another point brought up in the article is, the disassociation of technology and learning. The article expressed the thoughts that parents or educators may feel about learning and technology. They feel that the excessive use of technology will move away from "the basics" and "the basics" is where children get most of their learning. However, I do not think that is true and I don't think the author of the article does either. Children are described as "digital natives." This means that they are accustomed to the workings of technology and might learn better through it. Overall, I thought that article was interesting, since I am neither an educator or a fully-grown adult, so I had no idea what their perspective might be. I missed out on a lot of technology growing up, mostly due to the financial situation of my school district, but I am always excited to learn something new in the technological field. After reading this article, my view on technology in the classroom as been put into perspective. Children are already immersed, comfortable, and familiar with technology, so why take them out of it and force them to learn a different way? It makes much more sense to bring education to the children through means that they enjoy.