Reflection: LA Fest @ Temasek Polytechnic 2007

Keynote Address by Marc Prensky: Engage Me or Enrage Me: Educating Today's 'Digital Natives'.

• Video clip: Medieval Helpdesk

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

IDM is becoming a natural landscape here... as technology evolves and how we are engaged in a technology-rich environment.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Engage Me or Enrage Me: Educating Today's Digital Natives by Marc Prensky.

As we all know, Marc's passion topic is on the Digital Natives and Digital Migrants. Therefore, the content and the direction the talk drives at is pretty predictable. It's more like a reinforcement of what's been 'preached' over the past months!

It's not new to hear that "Technology is their (digital natives') birth right"... and they lead an emerging online life of the digital natives. Well, I guess these terms are originated from him?

Marc has drawn a line between the 2 types of 'people', listing down distinctive and observable characteristics of the Digital Natives and the Digital Immigrants that we can connect ourselves with.

The digital immigrant's accents include

• Printing out email - Oh yes, many of us do! So what when the agenda is not saved on a word document, but 'embedded in an email? Just print. In the past, minutes or handouts were printed out and circulated. Today, these are attached with the email, however, the recipients were also busily turning them into hardcopies! Right, I'm one of those culprits!
• Knowing phone numbers - well, I realised I could not remember phone numbers well nowadays... indeed, will have to save them into the handphone instead. OK, I prefer to go for email rather than calling... nevertheless, also recognise the fact that it's more personal when goes through the voice, too... When need be, the phone, the voice is still necessary.
• Knowing DOS command - Well, I belong to the era that uses DOS command. However, by now have forgotten most of them. When talking about DOS command, I will connect to that to Mr Low :D Yes, I believe he still has all those printed in his memory :D
• Not going to the Internet first for information - Encyclopedia, dictionary - well, they are a 'must' a home... nevertheless, when need to get info, nowadays, I'll go straight to the internet... afterwhich, print, print, print!!!
• Thinking "Reallife" happens only offline - well, with the birth of "2nd life"... no more just limited to "earth life"???
• Thinking we know what our students want and need without asking them - not really, but I think it's more like whether we remember to remember that students are our client, and what are the 'services' that our clients are looking for?

....to be continued...