[Blog post by David Edwards, NCVPS Chief Communications Officer]
One of the biggest gaps facing education today is that our Digital Immigrant
instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are
struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language. In other
words, the education system generally speaks analog, students listen in digital.
Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people
our educational system was designed to teach. Today’s students think and
process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors. Engaging
these digital connoisseurs is going to take a shift in how we “listen” to our
students and address their learning needs. Dr. Michael Osit’s book helps us to
take a look at this fast paced, instant gratification set of learners as well.
NCVPS is preparing a new series to help NC educators better understand this set
of learners we are calling “Generation Text”. This video series of interviews with
local, state and national educators will give viewers a good sense of how school
districts, policy makers, and others are working to “speak digital” and engage
their students. If you have ideas for speakers or topics, please contact Adam
Renfro at adam.renfro@ncpublicschools.gov . Our first session will air in the second week of March!
Please join the conversation.
Today's students have certainly changed in a big way. As one of these students, I absolutely agree that too make teachers are "speaking analog." That said, there are also a huge number of teachers who THINK they are "speaking digital," but are failing to use technology in a way that enhances learning. NCVPS is a great example. VPS courses never enhanced my learning. In fact, I never learned anything from them! They're poorly designed and difficult to navigate. In addition, many teachers are using tools that do not enhance learning in any discernable way - like Voki. There is still a ton of room for improvement.
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