Unlearning #2

Not only are we no longer the fountain of knowledge but our students, the "digital natives" know more than we do about technology. I am able to multi-task, but not quite like my students will be able to. They can type on the computer, talk to a friend on the phone, and watch tv or youtube all at the same time.

I recently read the Time Magazine article, "Are Kids too Wired for Their Own Good?" In this article, it talks about the idea that children are social creatures. Duh! Kids learn through socializing with one another. The amount of multi-tasking that kids are doing requires quite a bit of cognitive engagement. According to the article, "we know a staggering amount about the algebraic skills of today's teenagers but next to nothing about the skills they're actually going to use" (Johnson, Time Magazine). In other words, lets learn something from our students! Lets get them engaged in our classrooms. When it comes to technology, they can teach the teacher.

Lesson Idea: Put students into groups, and have each group come up with one piece of technology they can teach to you and the class. This would only take a couple class periods, but students would have ownership of their classroom.