Based on your learning style inventory, which type of multimedia learning is most challenging for you and why? What multimedia tool do you want to learn more about?

I would like to learn more about how the computer, wireless internet connection, and several other technology devices work. I use it everyday but I do not know how it works. Things I think about are: How does the information from your computer get saved onto a little USB drive? Of course I know how to put it on the USB stick, but what does the computer do? How does it transfer the information? I tried to learn about computer but it was too sequential (you must put things back in opposite order that you took it out and “this little dot right here does this and the one right next to it does something totally different”) that I could not concentrate long enough to figure it out.

Hopefully, I will figure it out one day so I wouldn't have to keep calling my brother to fix it for me!

"Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" Reflection

As a digital native, I very readily put this assignment to the side after previewing the assignment but after focusing long enough to read the article, I actually enjoyed it. Marc Prensky had a well-balanced amount of information, humor, and suggestions.

I really enjoyed reading his depiction of the gap between generations. I agree that teachers need to update their teaching techniques. Good things work for a while, but even they need an occasional tune-up. I think even adding little things such as video clips, fun trivia, or anything to give their students a change of pace in thinking will help their students. Digital natives are so used to multi-tasking that when they are in the classroom, they are forced to solely concentrate on one task which could be very difficult.

The only time I read something is when I am passionate about the subject or very willing to learn more about it. The only time I learn from my readings is when it is delivered interestingly. Education is my major but let's be serious, most of these education articles are the most boring pieces of reading materials I've ever read! Like Prensky said, learning does not have to be boring. The more you enjoy something, the more you will remember it.

Even introducing digital natives to the original versions of their tools will spark education. Who would ever imagine that a computer the size of a room would become more efficient and do more tasks while fitting into your back pocket? What about music? 8 tracks are a thing of the past, cassettes are practically obsolete and CDs are slowly becoming another dying music medium. I think the only people who own vinyls today are DJs, collectors, and people of that generation.
They can even go as far back to the Romans and Greeks, where music was obtained through a musician up to MP3 players of today.

A recent experience I had with classroom learning was in Biology. This professor lectured for the entire 50 minutes. She talked so fast and about something I did not understand much about that it just went in one ear and out the other. Her slides weren't even interesting; it was just a paragraph of what she was saying. I seriously thought I was going to fail this class until I popped in the CD-ROM that came with the textbook. On it were activities I could play, video demonstrations of what she was saying and through this, I actually understood and learned Biology.

In conclusion, digital immigrants and digital natives need to find a middle ground where they are both comfortable. Digital immigrants do not need to change their pedagogy entirely, just to make it technologically efficient. Small changes, such as having proper slides (not too crowded; bullets, illustrations, etc.) to accompany a lecture would make a significant difference in the amount of students who actually learned something from the lecture. The variety will keep students paying attention and the pictures will help with memorization.

Learning is the door to education. Proper teaching is the key.