Transcript Neuroplasticity

Marc Prensky’s
Nancy Nichols
Katie Amend
Casey Moffett
Jerrod Bain
Neuroplasticity
• The idea that the brain constantly reorganizes
itself during our lifespan
Key thoughts:
• The brain changes and organizes itself
differently based on the inputs it receives
• Brain changes physically based on simulation
• Brain cells are replenished constantly
• Brain maintains its plasticity for life
Prensky (2001)
Malleability
mal⋅le⋅a⋅ble
1. capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by
pressure from rollers.
2. adaptable or tractable: the malleable mind of a child.
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Some factors influence what thoughts are about… others
influence processes.
People who grow up in different cultures do not think
about different things… they think differently
Brains do not reorganize casually- they rewire with focus
and detail
Digital Natives have a very different blend of cognitive
skills than their predecessors
Prensky (2001)
www.dictionary.com
First year students’ experiences with technology:
Are they really digital natives?
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First year students are tech-savvy, but when they
have to move beyond computers, cell phones and email their skill set varies
Questions Prensky’s cultural and environmental
assumptions in relation to the physically changing
brain
Article is skeptical of Prensky’s generalizations
about students entering college with the same
digital upbringing
– Prensky may overlook a this mixture of
technology skills and previous knowledge
– If this knowledge is taken into consideration,
there is more opportunity got sound teaching
and learning
• The Australian universities want to make sure
that they enhance the learning experience of
incoming students
• Students are using technology in their
everyday lives and transferring that to their
education…
• “living technologies” adapted as “learning
technologies”
– Blogs
– Instant messaging
– Texting
– Social networking
– RSS feeds
– Downloading MP3’s
Merging Immigrants and Natives
• Digital Immigrants must first accept that
Native learners are different and learn in a
different way
• Immigrants must reconsider methodology and
content
• Methodology: Immigrants must learn to
“speak” the new language of Natives
(faster, less step-by-step, more random
access, etc.)
• Content: Combine “Legacy” (slow, stepby-step) and “Future” (digital and
technological) content using new language
Prensky (2001)
Implementing New Methodology and Content
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KEY: Keep them engaged and interested
There should no longer be a question of whether to
use the technology, but how to use the technology
to teach the material
Use Natives as resource- let students be the guides
Invent games or other forms of “edutainment” to
teach material
Remove or reduce “education” terminology
“It just depends on how it is presented”
Zoo Tycoon
Prensky (2001)
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Some Thoughts
from the Generation Gap
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Supports Prensky’s idea of the existence of a cultural
divide between Natives and Immigrants
Unconvinced of Prenky’s idea that the neurological
structures are capable of changing so dramatically from
one generation to the next
Over generalizes idea of Digital Natives
Necessary for Immigrants to learn and incorporate
Internet into teaching because it is the first place Natives
turn for info
– But do not assume they are incapable of
communicating in the way of Immigrants!
Before we abandon “legacy” content, must address
important questions:
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Are all Natives exposed to technology to the same extent?
What are the demographic differences?
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Some Thoughts
from the Generation Gap, Continued
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Prenksy overemphasizes the differences between two
groups and de-emphasizes similarities
Disservice to Natives to de-emphasize “legacy” content
(reading, writing, logical thinking, etc.)
– Vast volumes of information from technology demand
the ability to think critically and make use of research
skills
Computer is an effective trainer, but is it an effective
teacher?
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Important that we maintain idea that students should learn with
technology, not from it
Computer is a medium, learner and teacher are the mediators
Most important is to use engaging teaching methods that
are student-centered and promote active learning, with or
without technology
Gaston, J. (2006, April). Reaching and teaching the digital
natives. Library Hi Tech News, 23(3), 12-13.
Kennedy, G. E., Judd, T. S., Churchward, A., Gray, K. & Krause, K.-L.
(2008). First year students' experiences with technology: Are they
really digital natives? Australasian Journal of Educational
Technology, 24(1), 108-122.
http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet24/kennedy.html
Lee Rainie. (2006, September). FT.com site : They are the future - and
they're coming to a workplace near you. FT.com,1. Retrieved June
15, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document
ID: 1131072101
Prensky, M. (2001). “Digital natives, digital immigrants”. On the
Horizon, October 2001, 9 (5)NCB University Press.
Prensky, M. (2001). “Do they really think differently?” On the Horizon,
December 2001, 9 (6)NCB University Press.
Timothy VanSlyke "Digital natives, digital immigrants: some thoughts
from the generation gap." The Technology Source, May/June 2003.
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