Week+1+-+Jan+11


 *  Reflections(Class room learning) **
 * Great time knowing the professor and the fellow students.
 * Introduction to the idea of native and immigrant digital learning. This is a totally new topic for me.
 * Introduced to the concept of neuro plasiticity.

I went through the presentation and .pdf file on creating wiki space. They were of great help. I also went to other tutorials I found online to get help with few other things like creating table of contents. It's a small step but big enough for me as I am jumping into digital generation's technology. I started reading Digital kids-I after I finished the 2nd part but it gave me opportunity to go through both papers twice!
 * Introduction to wikispace **
 * Introduction to the wikispace. This is something I always wanted to do, so I am looking forward to a great time creating this wiki space!
 * Reflections (Reading)

I loved the story of five apes and the way it's been told to highlight the concept of TTWWADI (That's The Way We've Always Done It!). The real life examples and the existence of TTWWADI in our education system needs serious thinking. The whole idea of DFL and DSL (Digital as First Language & Digital as Second Language) in terms of digital natives and digital immigrants is new to me. The process of neuroplasticity give way to a new field of brain study called neuroinformatics can be thought of how technology/tools can create a new and unique thing that can clarify the age old concepts we like to hold on to. The brain wiring of the digital generation makes them visual kinesthetic or visual learners instead of auditory or text-based.

In  the paper, Ian Jukes has listed several points to compare digital learner's learning style: ** It's really important as an educator to understand how these kids are different. Changes have to be made to the teaching approach to line up with the learning style and this also required the need to re-evaluate the current assessment strategies.
 * Exposure to video games, texting etc has exposed digital generation to high speed data and information processing whereas educators follow the conventional speed that doesn't give them flexibility with multi tasking.
 * Digital generation multi-tasks. They are able to partially pay attention to different tasks but the conventional school system has a linear approach of doing one thing at a time
 * Interactive animation and digital images have taken the front role leaving text as a secondary support. Digital generation processes visual cues before the text which is opposite to the approach of educators. They process text before visual or sound cues.
 * Digital generation prefers random approach to multimedia information where as the educators approach in linear, logical and sequential way.
 * Work style is also different between educators and learners. Digital generation works in collaboration but the traditional approach was independent work before moving on to group effort.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The model of learning in school is "just in time". For digital generation it is learning just in time and for educators, it is teaching just in time!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Gratification and awards make a big difference. rewards are instantaneous now but not so much in the conventional system.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Relevancy, usefulness and fun are key to digital generation's learning approach. Educators follow strict memorization techniques to adhere to standardized testing.

The video mentioned under perceptual blindness is interesting. I agree that perceptual blindness happens to us everyday. We are not focusing on things that we should and in process missing a lot that we should see in th digital generation kids!

Ian Jukes,et al, "Understanding digital kids". (21st century fluency series)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Reference **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">