Generation IM

The first thing that caught my attention within this article was the comment from the tech facilitator at Suffern Middle School in New York. She said, "Compared to us, I believe their brains have developed differently." I believe her, which makes it so much more important, just as she said, to teach them their way, not ours.

Based on the two reports that tell how much time children spend with technology, I am not shocked. At first I thought, "Wow, that's pretty sad that our students are camped out on a couch watching TV and playing video games," but then they mentioned that these figures include time spent researching information for homework. I am glad that they included the benefits of video games as opposed to television. I liked the quote: "Unlike watching television, using the Internet allows young people to take an active role; this move from consumption to participation affects the way they construct knowledge, develop their identity, and communicate with others." I find myself telling my husband to get away from the TV and play video games instead... ha! Who would have ever thought I'd ever be saying THAT. Not me!

It was unfortunate to read what one teacher had to say in regards to some teachers not using technology: “I’ve put off learning about some things that I’m very interested in because I simply don’t have the time to learn about them well enough to use them in the classroom."

There are three main barriers to integrating digital media more fully into schools:
1) a lack of quality professional development for teachers;
2) a lack of time to explore, apply, and reflect with colleagues on the challenges and potentials of integrating any type of technology into the classroom culture; and
3) limited administrative support about how to use technology effectively to empower learners.

It all comes down to teacher support. If the teachers don't learn how to use it themselves, they won't be able to use it in their classrooms. I hope when I become a teacher that I will be constantly seeking ways to learn about technology, as well as spend my summers catching up and revising my lesson plans to incorporate it.

I laughed out loud at the quote, "Remember the saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child?’ ” she asks. “Now, it takes a metaverse."

I thought this was a cool idea: The sixth graders chose characters from assigned novels like Haroun and the Sea of Stories and My Brother Sam Is Dead and created profiles for them—adding pictures, likes and dislikes, and even blog entries from their chosen character’s point of view.