In the article entitled “Do They Really Think Differently?”, Marc Prensky discusses the theory that human brains have changed over time due to the new technological inventions incorporated in our everyday lives. He states that “the brain changes and organizes itself differently based on the inputs it receives”, which is known as neuroplasticity (page 2). Although my first thought to the idea of brain adaptations was skeptical, after reading the article, I have come to the conclusion that due to our surrounding environments, our brains have the ability to change and adapt to our surrounding environments, especially with technology. Before, I didn’t agree that our brains were physically different than that of our previous generations. This idea is similar to evolution and the physical change over long periods of time. Now, I believe that are brains don’t necessarily evolve over time, but they have the capabilities to change according to different environments.
Although I am not currently in a classroom, I have seen a difference in the way that I process and use technology compared to that of my parents. Although my parents both use technology in their everyday lives, I tend to solve technology problems and learn new technological advances at a much faster rate than they do. I have seen this especially in everyday tasks that I complete in relation to my parents everyday tasks. My mom, especially, is an excellent list maker (writing down tasks by hand). This is the way that she visualizes her day and what she needs to get done that day. I, on the other hand, have put my iphone and laptop to extensive use by using apps and digital calendars to structure my everyday activities. I set reminders, notifications, and due dates to remind me of what I need to get done so that I don’t have to think about it until my phone notifies me. I link my phone and computer together so that no matter what I am doing (whether on my phone or computer) I will be notified at a specific time to complete a task. This is a much different and faster process of getting things done that that of my parents.
Marc Prensky states in the article that “research by social psychologists shows that people who grow up in different cultures do not just think about different things, they actually think differently” (p. 3). I agree with Prensky because I have seen how I use technology in today’s world compared to how my parents use it. My parents grew up in a world where paper and pens were their main source to write down things. Today, the keyboard and iphone allow me to write down things. Also, my parents spent most of their education reading tangible books and underlining important points. Today, most of my education is reading articles online or reading reviews and books online (or on the iphone) and copying and pasting important points into a word document or digitally highlighting the important points.
Overall, my perspective has changed after reading Prensky’s article. I agree with Prensky and his idea that “our children today are being socialized in a way that is vastly different from their parents” (1) because I see it with my self and my parents. The problem today that we face is the transition between “old-school teaching” and teaching in the 21st century. How do we support this change as teachers? Personally, this is the main reason why I decided to get a masters in Digital Teaching. By learning how to teach in the 21st century, I will be prepared to integrate new technological advances into the classroom in order to relate to the next generation.
