Sunday, November 25, 2012
GUD - Chapter 5 Reflection
After you have read and taken notes on Chapter 5, "The Net Generation as Learners," use one of the current events sources linked at http://mrsfridaysclass.wikispaces.com/Current+Events to find a recent news article that relates to, supports, or refutes Tapscott's assertions. Your comment should include the title of the news article, a link to the article, and a summary of the article including an explanation of how the article relates to an issue addressed in chapter 5 of GUD. In this response, be sure to include a reflection on the relevance of this information to your own life. Don't forget to check your rubric for evaluation criteria!
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http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2012/1205/New-push-for-two-year-degrees-could-be-smart-move-for-US-report-says The article "New push for two-year degrees could be smart move for the US, report says" supports Tapscotts accusations that education needs to be reformed in this new day in age. Therefore, the article discusses how more and more people aren't getting degrees because of the amount of time it takes to receive one, and Tapscott in the book argues how there are more dropouts then ever since the 1960's and 1:5 students take remedial writing and english courses their freshman year of college. Moreover, this also supports Tapscott's argument that curriculums should be catered to ones way of learning, because all people are different. Thusforth, I firmly believe that the way you learn should be the way you absorb things. Education is sometimes lacking a way to pinpoint exactly the way to interest everyone, and I've seen many people being to struggle and take remedial classes in high school, because they learn differently from everyone else. I support Tapscott's belief's towards schools, and I hope things are bettered in the future so my children can learn the way they can best.
ReplyDelete"Education and Training Has Not Kept Pace" http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/07/09/does-a-skills-gap-contribute-to-unemployment/education-and-training-has-not-kept-pace-with-the-skills-gap
ReplyDeleteIn this article, the author discusses the problems companies involving mathematics or science skills are having while hiring new employees. She (the author) begins by explaining the incredible difference between the skill sets of aspiring workers in schools and those who are already employed in companies. The author then goes on to explain how the required skills in math and science for the jobs of today have dropped dramatically because the pace is far too slow in which students are learning. Teachers are not teaching students what they need to know for the workforce. This supports Tapscott's argument that there must be a change in education because Tapscott, too, argues that the pace of education is still the pace it was decades ago which is far too slow for the students of today. Tapscott addresses how the students of today are a fast-paced bunch who need a new system of education to keep them up with the workforce. In my life, I definitely see this applying in some of my classes. I constantly find myself silently begging the teacher to move on and teach us something new. I do not need incredibly long lectures to grasp ideas: just skip to the point and let us talk about it amongst ourselves.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHelping the Teenager with A.D.H.D
ReplyDeletehttp://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/helping-the-teenager-with-a-d-h-d/
Although A.D.H.D is a very real diagnosis, Tapscott early in his book mentions student receiving false diagnosis's due to their inattentivness. Of course this is not the student's fault. Due to the internet world students are used to lightening fast response and visual pictures for understanding. While, in class teachers still resort to using old teaching styles of lectures. Students today can not handle the straight hour lecture. Tapscott states that more kids are attending college but lots drop put due to the archaic teaching styles and not being able to absorb the information. Tapscott refers to this as a " one size fits all" teaching style but this is not the case anymore. Students need to learn in the best way that suits them and not what suited their parents a lifetime ago. Broadcast learning can not longer be applied according to Tapscott. Although in the article it is a Q&A with Dr.Barkely, he responds to parents questions on their children with A.D.H.D. This article inversely relates to what Tapscott had stated especially in chapter 5 of Grown Up Digital. The parents believe it is the student's problem but really, the teaching is the problem and the nation knows it but will not change.
“Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students-learn-teachers-say.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
This article discusses how technology within the classroom has both its advantages and disadvantages to students learning environments. Some of the advantages include a wide range of learning styles that can be available to students who acquire specific learning styles in order to grasps certain concepts within the lesson. Throughout the article teachers discuss some disadvantages with technology in a classroom which include constant distraction of students who take advantage of the opportunity to be on the laptops and play games instead of concentrating on the task at hand. The article relates to chapter five of “Growing Up Digital” because both discuss how classroom technology affects the students learning environment in both good and bad ways. An example from the chapter that supports this idea is when Tapscott discusses that; “Students are individuals who have individual ways of learning and absorbing information (Tapscott 139). Throughout the chapter Tapscott also talks about how technology is benefiting the students of the Net Generations learning environment because it allows them to have an individualized way of learning. These examples from the text display that Tapscott believes that students need customized ways of learning which include the use of technology. Overall, the article and chapter directly relate to one another because they both discuss how technology benefits and disrupts the students learning environments.
“We Need New Teaching Methods”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/09/26/why-more-students-rely-on-tutors/we-need-new-teaching-methods
The article begins by the author stating that as a math teacher, she has not seen an increase in the need of tutoring because the classes have shown to not be too advanced or difficult for students. What she does find however is that students need to be taught a different way, she believes that it’s not the students who are the problem it’s the teachers. Textbooks show that little has changed since 1980; students are still listening to lectures and taking notes while they contribute little to the learning progress. The author goes on to say that technology has changed the ways students learn. This article relates to the conclusions made by Tapscott in “The Net Generation as Learners: Rethinking Education.” Tapscott talks about how the Net Geners as students are changing; they are much different learners than the generations before them. They need to be taught a different way because their brains do not agree with the “one shoe fits all” version of learning and need the “one shoe for one” version of teaching. He also states that technology has changed the way students learn, they are now more responsive and the use of computers in schools have increased the percentages of higher scores on standardized tests. Both articles discuss how technology has changed how students learn for the better. Both also talk about how the way teachers educate the students is the problem; teachers need to adjust their teachings to match each individual students’ needs. All in all, this article greatly relates to the accusations made by Tapscott in chapter four of “Grown Up Digital.”
“Lessons from 30 Years of Education Reporting”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/2013/01/08/168871924/lessons-from-30-years-of-education-reporting
In chapter five of “Grown Up Digital”, Don Tapscott discusses how education needs to change and the problems with the current system of education. One of the major problems is the lack of funding to urban area public schools and the neglecting of the kids who live there. Tapscott states that the current system of education is better suited for one hundred years in the past, not the digital age. He includes parts of a speech from a college dean that reveal the problem to be funding in urban areas. The article “Lessons from 30 Years of Education Reporting” also discusses the problems with the educational system. The man being interviewed in the article states that the inner city children are receiving a worse education because of a lack of funding and a lack of care. Matthews, the man being interviewed, believes that the problem stems from the universal idea that since their parents didn’t go to college, and the test scores within the school are poor, none of these urban children will amount to anything. He also believes that the key to a better education is to challenge students, not provide them with easy work. Teachers often provide easy work to students in order to help the students, but Matthews believes challenging and failing students is much more valuable. The relates to some of Tapscott’s ideas that there is not enough funding to change the school system everywhere, and that inner city students will suffer because of the lack of funds.
“Literary skills tackled by lesson change at Glyn Derw High School, Cardiff”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-19512780
A video created by Michael Wesch and 200 students points out a huge problem every school faces in education today. Net Geners are growing up in a digital age while the teaching methods haven’t changed since 100 years ago. This education was designed for the Industrial Age says Tapscott. Teachers use the one shoe fits all method by giving one way lectures. This doesn’t help the average Net gener. This method would have been good for the mass production economy but not in this digital age. Especially not for Glyn Derw High School, their year 7 students face a challenge, 45% of their year 7 pupils were classified as functionally illiterate. Mr. Matthew’s a teacher at Glyn Derw High School said that their traditional curriculum was being amended for the youngest students to ensure that their reading skills would improve. But test scores kept dropping and soon enough the school was ranked in the lowest part of the Welsh’s government schools. Teachers then got together and had to reconstruct their lessons plans to ensure students would enhance test scores. Slowly but surely teachers taught their new lesson plans and they saw a % increase in their students grades. After pointing out the main issue Tapscott and Mike Wesch were right. In order for students in this generation to succeed, old teaching methods need to be thrown out the window and teachers need to bring in fresh new ones so Net Geners will understand the curriculum.
"D.C. schools’ rate of expulsion raises questions"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dc-schools-rate-of-expulsion-raises-questions/2013/01/18/72ce27fa-619d-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html
In Tapscott's fifth chapter of Grown Up Digital, he focuses mostly on the learning environment in which the net generation thrives and the problems with the current institutes for education. One problem that he addresses is the exorbitant dropuout rates of high school and college students. His explanation for increasing percentage of dropouts is the lack of funds available for schools and failure of adminstration to teach the new generation, whose brain functions differently than previous students, information in an efficient, personalized to their generation method. He justifies the dropouts with the fact that students still utilize lecturing, an old-fashioned teaching principle that doesn;t accomodate the new generation with their lack of attention spans and necessity to feel like they are contributing to their environment. Similarly, the above article investigates the expulsion rates and behavior issues of students in public schools as opposed to private schools. Public Schools, recently suffering from budget cuts, generated 676 expulsions within the past three years. Private schools, who recieve money privately from guardians of the students and are able to have smaller, involved classes, don't see as many students with disciplanary issues and the number of expulsions for the past three years was only 24 students. The author of the article states that parents belief this statistic is the result of an education more adaptive to the children of today's generation and a safe, interesting envrionment. In conclusion, both authors agree that the obsolete instruction of today's education has taken a toll on the new generation and updates need to be made in order for this generation to meet its full potential. In my own experience, the old methods of teaching don't effect me, but I notice the irritation fellow students recieve during lectures and disinterest they take in subjects taught in that respect.
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ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/education/obama-wades-into-issue-of-raising-dropout-age.html?_r=0
ReplyDeleteIn chapter five of "Grown Up Digital", the author Don Tapscott states that the highschool dropout rate has increased due to the boredom of students. The dropout problem is so vast that only 69.9% of American Highschool students actually graduate. This problem has even it made it to a federal level, where the president is asking the United States to change the drop out rate to 18 rather than 16 or 17 as states in, the article "Obama Wades Into Issue of Raising Dropout Age". However Rhode Island is the only state to actually do so. This law if passed would prevent kids under 18 from dropping out in turn this should help the drop out rate to decrease because the kids have to stay in school.
"A Digital Tool to Unlock Learning"
ReplyDeletehttp://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/a-digital-tool-to-unlock-learning/
This article discusses how the introduction of technology, specifically computers, helped students at Bea Fuller Rodgers Middle School in Washington Heights, New York. Teachers introduced the computers first to see if connections or focusing improved. The results shocked the teachers when students who normally did not interact with teachers out of lack of interest in the subject starting improving when exposed to games and online activities. Teachers also observed the focus level of students increasing. Children no longer worried about others in the room, but were concentrating on what was directly in front of them. These observations both contradict and agree with Tapscott's thinking. Tapscott perceived that education would have to change since technology was evolving at such a startling pace, but mentioned that since Net Geners already have a difficult time staying on task, that the computer may act as more of a distraction. The use of computers followed Tapscott's claim, but the increased focus from students did stray from his hypothesis. I believe that education must make technological advances to better the learning of students, and that education must be tailored to certain degrees. Even so, I do not agree with one of Tapscott's mentions towards self teaching through the computer. Teachers would have students research a topic then learn about it. My personal opinion is that students should first learn the basic understanding and truth about a topic before students are left to their own devices to learn about a topic.
"Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/technology/idaho-teachers-fight-a-reliance-on-computers.html?pagewanted=all
Although technology and its advancements can be beneficial and offer many tools which can help students learn, it can also be harmful.
Technology is changing the way that we educate our youth. Children now grow up in a digital era, where everything is computerized. The way we educate our children is simply not the same as it was thirty years ago.
The above article neither supports or refutes Tapscott's argument, but rather provides an example. The schools in Idaho recognize the shift in educational methods and push against them.
"Schools Blend Computers With Classroom Learning"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/2011/06/22/137318998/schools-blend-computers-with-classroom-learning
In the fifth chapter of Don Tapscott's book, "Grown Up Digital", he discusses how the Net Generation needs to be educated differently from the way all the other generations learned. This generation is poised to become the most educated generation of Americans ever, and they are comfortable with using technology. Broadcast learning has to change into interactive learning for these Net Generation students to learn. Interactive learning involves collaborating with their peers and their teachers to better understand the concept. In addition, the Net Generation has to be able to think critically and creatively to function in this now fast-paced world. This article focuses on schools blending computers into the classroom environment in hope that the students will be able to learn better through technology. For KIPP elementary school, this method worked just fine. One teacher stated that she was able to leave the room when the kids were on their computers and they still stayed on task. To conclude, this article partly reinforces Tapscott's statement that if teachers and educators listen and change their approach to education, they'll find that computers can be an incredible teaching tool.
"Fairfax Schools to Buy Paper Textbooks After Pixel Predicament" http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-schools-insider/post/fairfax-schools-to-buy-paper-textbooks-after-pixel-predicament/2012/12/11/c6759c42-43b3-11e2-8e70-e1993528222d_blog.html
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 5, Tapscott mentions that education must be reconsidered for the Net Gen students. The old-fashioned method of giving lectures is boring students and, in Tapscott's opinion, needs to be changed. His solutions are not exactly to put computer in classrooms, but to have teachers take a more interactive approach. They should focus on students individually to help each grow at their own pace with their own style of learning. They must also let the students collaborate with their peers and discover things for themselves in order to help them get the best education. This article mentions how some schools were unsuccessful with computers in classrooms. It explains briefly some of the major issues with this tactic such as power outages during Hurricane Sandy and low-speed internet connections not being good enough to access the online textbooks. This relates to and somewhat reinforces Tapscott's point that computers in classrooms are not the ultimate solution to better learning because of issues like these and a lack of improvement.
"Tweet and Teach: A Fast Way to Share Best Classroom Practice"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/classroom-innovation/tweet-and-teach-share-classroom-practice
This article discusses how classrooms and teachers are now using twitter to communicate with the students. It is a fast effective way to alert them with reminders. Since teachers do not have much spare time between lessons, meetings, and paperwork, tweeting is a quick way to get through. Using twitter allows direct connection from teacher to student and student to student. Updating to this fast paced trend is just another step to rethinking education. This relates to the fifth chapter of "Grown Up Digital" because Tapscott touches upon how the Net Generation is intelligent but impatient. Online is a preferable way for this generation to learn and adapt new information. I agree with the belief that changing to digital is the only way to move forward but staying with old fashioned styles will leave everyone behind.
"Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/education/education-gap-grows-between-rich-and-poor-studies-show.html?pagewanted=all&gwh=625254C7360D6A9E9797B39B7BBFE2BF
This article discusses the growing separation in education between rich and poor students. A study by Professor Reardon of Stanford University found that standardized test scores between high income and low income students had grown by 40% since the 1960. The author, Sabrina Tavernise, makes the point that children of lower income families do not spend their early years stimulating their minds, while their richer counterparts do. Tavernise also mentions that children who come from a high income family have parents who are invested in their education and look for the best, while parents of lower income families do not have any time to invest into their children's education. This supports Tapscott's assertions in chapter 5 of "Grown Up Digital" because he says that schools in low income areas, like cities, have more students dropping out than richer suburban areas. Tapscott states that "in 2003-04, the graduation rate was 15 percentage points higher among students living in the suburbs than it was for those in the cities." Tavernise's article supports this by stating that lower income students are not doing as well on standardized test as higher income ones. This information is relevant in my life because the students at my school are from a suburban area and come from families with high incomes. The school as a whole does generally well on standardized tests and has a high graduation rate, which supports the idea that richer suburban areas outperform poorer city schools.