Why is it so hard to believe that we are boring our students?

Marc Prensky's Edutopia article about 21st century digital learners is very interesting—and not surprisingly— extremely critical of today's schools. Prensky advocates that we should listen to students more instead of making all the decisions for them. The comments by the adolescents he quotes are provocative..."You think of technology as a tool. We think of it as a foundation -- it's at the basis of everything we do."

And then the other shoe drops..."No matter where I go in the world -- the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, or New Zealand -- students are mind-numbingly bored in class. Listen up." Ouch! While hardly a new idea (see several more comments below), the power of these statements is staggering.

"I'm bored 99 percent of the time." (California)

"[My teachers] bore me so much I don't pay attention." (Detroit)

"Pointless. I'm engaged in two out of my seven classes." (Florida)


So, what is he asking for? Nothing more than what we have advocated for a long time...listening to students' voices, using the knowledge and passion for learning they possess, and giving them opportunities to use the technology they use so seamlessly in their "other" lives.

What do you think? Are students today that much different from students of the past?

Technology...neither good nor bad?

The two articles we read for class this week—technology's influence on sports and student-centric learning—had very similar themes. Essentially, the authors were saying that technology isn't going to slow down and it is up to us how we use it. Technology itself is neither good nor bad...but how we put it to use is what is important. From previous comments in EDT 400 classes and on your blogs and forums, I get the feeling that some of you have an inevitable feeling that technology is steam-rolling our society and there is no way to control or stop it. Is that how you feel? Do you envision some sort of future where computers have taken over our minds—and more?

I liked this quote from the sports FAQ's article...

The question that Martens asks his colleagues to address is "How do we avoid technology taking us for a wild ride in which we have no control or little influence, but instead determine how we may optimally put technology to use..."(p. 252).

So, my question to all of you is...how DO we avoid technology taking us for a wild ride?