EDUC 630 DB1: Response to Wesch's vision of students today

            When I consider some of the suggested educational technology and processes to which Wesch (2007) alluded in his video, I often reflect on my own learning story.  One of the first events that came to mind was when I was in the fifth grade.  I remember one of my teachers would fill three chalkboards with notes on the day’s or week’s topic.  We were expected to quietly copy everything down from the board, word for word.  This would take up the majority of the class period.  I remember how much I hated doing that and how much my fingers hurt from all the writing.  When I was a senior in high school, I had a math teacher who used an overhead projector to solve equations so all the class could see how to do the work.  These two examples were before the age of PowerPoint and digital projectors.  My teachers used the technologies and teaching methods they understood and were trained for to try and provide us a quality education.  I started college in 1988 and did not finish my first degree until 2004 when I experienced my first online course.  Since then, I have continued my education, here with Liberty University, and have seen many changes in how their program has designed.  Although I am technically considered part of Generation X, the duration of my educational journey has exposed me to many of the topics in the video which address the challenges that Millennials face.

            Thorsen (2009) talks about a digital divide resulting from factors which limit a student’s access to or ability to use technology for learning.  Wesch seems to suggest that for Millennials, the digital divide comes, in part, from antiquated teaching approaches.  The requirement for use of physical books, large class sizes, and teacher centered learning appear to be central to his theme.  Over the past eight years I have seen a shift in Liberty University’s approach which seems aimed at changing paradigms which affect the digital divide.  Videotaped lectures have been replaced with web-based video presentations.  Physical books have started being replaced by digital copies available computers and e-readers.  Learning management systems like Blackboard were once used for posting homework assignments and taking tests.  Now, they are used for collaborative projects as well.  These changes seem to come easily to online learning, but the real challenge lies in reducing the divide in the classroom.  Technology integration is not likely to be an instant solution, but it can be an aide.

References

Thorsen, C. (2009). TechTactics: Technology for Teachers (3 ed.). Boston: Pearson

Wesch, M. (Producer) (2007). A vision of students today [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o