Marc Prensky

Turning On the Lights

Reaching the Reluctant Learner

"Compared with students' technology-infused lives outside of school,

the traditional classroom is a somber place."

My initial reaction after reading the first paragraphs, why the passed tense? The big, bad world out there gone because of lights? The lights of what? Depower? What? Where? The brain, fiber optic connections? Isn't the "noble calling" of every educator to be passionate about leading kids from intellectual darkness into the intellectual light, to enlighten? Who is (are) the reluctant learner(s)? The student, the teacher, the parent, the school or district administrator, the policy writer ... and where does technology fit into the "noble" art of effective teaching? While very thought-provoking, realistically speaking Marc Prensky's high-level ideas are not that simple to implement, starting with "Prensky's Principles for Principals".

With all due respect, I think that this article is filled generalizations and over-simplifications, especially given diverse learning styles and student backgrounds, cultural and socio-economic. I have a tough time accepting that technology, particularly gaming, is a cure-all for boredom and academic achievement nor am I convinced that kids are bored because they cannot use their illuminated and illuminating gadgetry in school.

In my mind "Depowering" is not a new phenomenon in the context of clearing the brain to make room for imagination. All I can say is that the "noble" teachers who successfully connected with me in the 50s/60s (and believe me, I had plenty to "depower" from in those days) and who now manage to get the attention from my generally bored-in-HS 15-year old son continue to be those "noble" educators who present rich and relevant content in creative packaging - not necessarily hi-tech. Simply incorporating technological devices for the purpose of expanding their students' knowledge base to stimulate and motivate today's students is not the only answer. Even technology can be used in a vacuum. To quote Joe Makley, our district technology coordinator, "We can make school less boring, but not by making it more entertaining or less demanding." I personally challenge Marc Prensky to create a Club Penguin look-alike specifically designed to prep for MEAs, NWEAs, NECAPs, and all those other required assessment testing we put our kids through.

This said, there is definitely a time and place to laptops, iPods, social network sites, Wikipedia and other technological devices and tools in the K-5 classroom. Mind you, I also believe that there are times to put them away. I taught a college level computer class once and asked my students to turn their cell phones off or on vibrate. I respected their need to respond to "emergencies" but asked them to do so by stepping out in the hall. I didn't lose one student the entire semester. So far I have not discovered educational use for student cell/iPhones in school unless, of course, phones are part of a digital citizenship lesson to teach students how to use them ethically and appropriately.

Our elementary school is equipped with wireless network access, with a computer lab and classrooms have computer stations. Teachers have camcorders, digital cameras, and an iPod at their disposal - these tech tools are used in different ways, for different purposes and at varied levels of complexity or innovation. In my mind, the degree of commitment to use them effectively for instructional purposes is driven by personal motivation and passions. To quote Joe, "Those [teachers] who use the techniques and technologies that best suit their students well are motivated intrinsically." I agree.

This fall, all elementary teachers received a G4 iBooks. I hope that teachers will use these iBooks as their vehicle to explore, discover the latest technology trends in education, and connect with other educators on the WWW. I also hope that they will take the next step and use new tech ideas and Web 2.0 with their students. Most importantly, I hope that teacher use of iBooks in- or outside school hours brings them together as professionals who want (demand) to share and use innovative teaching and learning methods during professional development and staff meetings. We have to find that time and this can only happen if we all share the passion and commitment. Back in the classroom, I say: bring in the students and have them show the way! Students will insist as will their parents!

There is really no technology directive or philosophy in place in my school. And although I know teachers use technology collective thinking and application around level outcomes is lacking, in my mind to detriment of our students. How technology is used in the classroom is up to the individual teacher and I cannot say with certainty how their annual technology goals are identified, assessed or reviewed and the end of the year.

As a school and as a District we have made a lot of progress since I arrived on the scene in '97 but lots of work remains. Only several teachers, one was a very reluctant tech user until last year, are successfully using our District Wordpress blog system to connect with parents and students. My personal hero is a second grade teacher due to district network limitations is successfully using a Wiki to use innovative ways to connect school with home. Sadly, this "Web 2.0 Poster Teacher" is "in the closet", unrecognized by her administrator as being onto something that should, or better yet, needs to be shared and showcased during staff meetings.

Our District technology use policy is being revamped as we speak. One of the areas in need of immediate but very carefully worded revision is that of allowing digital media, video and photos showing students on the Web. Given the diversity of our student body, we have to be very careful about featuring our students on YouTube . The reality is that parents have to give written permission for online student publishing, they are the ultimate gate keepers. This dilemma has been a point of discussion during the last couple of BTC (building technology coordinators) meetings with Joe. At one of those occasions we looked at Room 18 and the power of kids, video, and finding a new teacher!

Knowing the people who are part of the policy revision process I have faith that our new District technology policy will push the gates ever so carefully but with determination to enable teachers and students to use innovative technologies. On the network end, I hope that with the new policy the District will unblock Twitter. Perhaps I should e-mail Dr. Morse, our new, tweeting Superintendent to open the Twitter gates on our network. Some day I would love to link staff up with Deb White to learn about the way she uses Twitter with her students.

PS: To help me figure out where Marc Prensky is coming from in this article and to add credence to his point and arguments I had to check him out. At the bottom of the article Prensky is presented as speaker, writer, consultant, and game designer. It was interesting to find out that he holds Graduate degrees from Yale (education) and Harvard (MBA). I assume "Turning On the Lights" was published as part of an EL feature on "Reaching the Reluctant Learner" in 2008. His background & target audience - the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development - clearly came through in his writing.