Today’s learners appear smarter, yet they don’t read ass
their parents do and they are addicted to the internet. Even in the classes
their concentration is questionable as they are uneasy to simply sit and
listen. They become alive again through video presentations, group activities
and computer classes.
The concern
for new learners is valid. On the other hand, it is to be admitted that our teachers
today generally use the traditional education program applicable to learners of
the past, acquainted with linear, textual, and sequential learning. They fail
to realize that the new generation of the 21st millennium is not the
kind of learner that they were, but are information technology or digital
learners.
It is
observe that the new learners spend much time talking with friends on their
cellphones, spending text messages, interacting trough social Internet media
like Facebook, playing video games and surfing the World Wide Web.
Last the
concerns for new learners is not well understood, it serves to know what
scientist say as follows:
·
There
are positive benefits derived from the use of information technology or digital
resources and these counterbalance possible negative effects of technology on
children.
·
Daily
exposure to high technology-personal computers, video game gadgets, cellphones,
and Internet and search sites-stimulates the brain by strengthening and
creating neural circuits.
·
A
current technological revolution is creating an intellectual revolution, faster
and better than ever before.
Truly there
are valid concerns which must be met, and among these is the feared under
development of new learners along social face-to-face interaction skills. On
the other hand, there is the phenomenon of the young generation taking on
multi-tasking as they perform task simultaneously: watching video, chatting
online, downloading pictures and music, surfing the Web, etc. True to say,
research shows that multitasking can be detrimental since this prevents
concentration and the completion of specific tasks. However, multitasking
characterizes professional works in the new world of information technology.
There is the need therefore to balance the good and possibly detrimental
changes observed among new learners of this information technology age.
I was once a
participant and a facilatator of the recent Bukidnon Physics Society
Seminar-Workshop, the main topic of the said activity was about "Google
Education" the seminar shows that teachers must be open-minded because
they are very willing to learn the new technology that can aid them in becoming
more effective teachers especially when the aattention of the learners were
hard to catch.
As a teacher
it is very important to understand the learners in order to test their limits
and strengthened their weaknesses. But in doing such things, teacher must exert
effort to catch the attention of the digital learners and engaged them fully in
such activities that they would not bore themselves to death. In understanding
the learners the teacher must put herself/himself in his or her students’
situation and take time to learn and cope up with the fast changing technology
and must be also updated of what’s in and out and the current issues which
might interest hi/her students.
Moreover, it is important to widen the knowledge about integrating
technology in teaching the students and not to be stagnant when it comes to
dealing with the students in order to have an interactive class discussion.
Nowadays, it
is very important to be updated of what’s in and what’s out. That’s why the
Bukidnon Physics Society held a seminar about integrating technology in
teaching the students which really helps the teachers to be aware of how to
integrate the technology in their lesson. One of these is to use the Phet
simulation in teaching their lesson towards the students. By actually using
these, it will help the students to visualize the movements of the electron
inside the conducting wire if the voltage increases not just imagining its
movements.
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