Reflection on Prensky's ideas

Image from: Blaugh.com

While I am not convinced that "different kinds of experiences lead to different kinds of brains", as Prensky notes in his articles,I feel that it could be argued that exposure to different mediums, experiences and stimuli all could lead to different expectations for the students of today. To me, it is these expectations that make the real difference in today's students.

Whether it is different brains or different expectations, learners today are not the passive recipients that they once were.  Attentions spans are harder to keep and engagement of learners appears to be the real challenge for educators rather than just the content of the curriculum.  While not necessarily demanding technology, different interfaces to hold the students attention are required. After an hour on his first day, a prep student at the school where I work said to his teacher,"This playing stuff is ok, but where are the iPads?"

Reading to students, group rotations, singing are all still engaging activities, but now ICT activities should also be employed to enrich and extend the learning experience by holding the attention of the student longer and reinforcing the teaching delivery.

Perhaps it is not so much 'enraging' the student that we should fear, but the possibility of boring him/her to the point of disengagement from the learning process.