Article Review #2

How do teachers determine which technology to use in the classroom?  That is one of the questions that Ronald A. Berk provides answers for in his article “How do you Leverage the Latest Technologies, including Web2.0 Tools, in your classroom?

This article provides different strategies for integrating technology in the classroom for 21^st century learners.  The strategies are based on the generation of learners that have been named the Net Generation (Net Geners), born between 1982 to 2003.  This generation has never known a world without technology.  However that does not mean that this group knows how to use these tools for learning effectively.  It is important that teachers understand how this group uses technology and how they think before applying technology in the classroom. 

This generation of students is no better or inferior to other generations, their world is just more connected than previous. To be able to understand how to connect with technology we need to understand their learning characteristics to be able to better leverage the use of technology for learning. Below are 10 specific characteristics that have specific implications for the use of technology in the classroom by these learners (Beck 2010) .

1. TECHNOLOGY SAVVY
2. RELIES ON SEARCH ENGINE FOR EVERYTHING
3. INTERESTED IN MULTIMEDIA
4. CREATES INTERNET CONTENT
5. LEARNS BY INDUCTIVE DISCOVERY
6. MULTITASK ON EVERYTHING
7. COMMUNICATES VISUALLY
8. EMOTIONALLY OPEN
9. PREFERS TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION
10. PREFERS TYPING TO HANDWRITING

The preceding characteristics are typical of most Net Geners according to the surveys (Becker 2010).  It is essential that teachers understand these characteristics to connect with the students.  The author provides a great “Memory Jogger” of technology teaching strategies that a teacher can use to connect with the characteristics of the learners. Below is a brief summary of the of a few of  the strategies that were suggested to work with the characteristics of these learners.

• Incorporate technology meaningfully into lectures, in-class and out-of-class assignments, activities, and demonstrations.
• Provide assignments that draw on students search engine skills, but give guidance and structure on how to maximize the value of the search
• Use music, videos, video games, other games, ect. That is student favorites in lectures and assignments
• Provide students to create their own blogs, micro blogs, and wikis
• Plan games, simulations, improvisations and role-playing in a virtual environment
• Consider students to multitask in the learning environment
• Include graphics, images, and visual representations in your presentations
• Use hybrid or blended methods to encourage interaction and opinion sharing
• Allow students to pool existing knowledge to share online
• Encourage students to take notes using PC’s/Macs or handheld devices

It is important to recognize that the classroom has changed and that it is gearing more towards a learner-centered environment, and the teacher is becoming more of the “guide on the side”.  Once the teacher has surveyed the characteristics of their students then the teacher will be able to use the strategies above to an advantage in the classroom setting.

I really enjoyed this article as it provided me with a reminder of how the 21^st century learners are different from other generations.  Though I was born on the cusp of this generation technology was very limited in the classroom.  As a teacher of 13 years now I have seen a dramatic difference in the way students learn compared to now and then.  I so find that I must use these strategies in the classroom to provide my students with the best possible learning environment.

Reference:

Berk, R. A. (2010). How do you leverage the latest technologies, including Web 2.0 tools, in your classroom? International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, 6(1), 1-13.