How might Wenger's notions on practice communities relate to Prensky's on education?
Wenger suggests that Communities of practice are "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly"(Wenger), so a group of people that have the same interests in one particular thing will learn more about it and how to participate better the more they all work together and interact. The effects of this can be seen within education and the groups that are formed.
Wenger suggests that Communities of practice are "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly"(Wenger), so a group of people that have the same interests in one particular thing will learn more about it and how to participate better the more they all work together and interact. The effects of this can be seen within education and the groups that are formed.
Prenskys ideas around education is where the 'digital divide' comes to the forefront, with the main issue being around the difference between teachers and students and the digital language they speak. The issue is that teachers have to learn before they can communicate to the students they teach."Our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language" (Perksy) Students of today that belong to the digital native group have a completely different way of thinking and this courses problems for the digital immigrant teachers, as the students 'have little patience for lectures, step-by-step logic, and "tell-test" instruction', students want the information/education 'faster'. Prensky even goes on to suggest why not have video games as an educational tool.
When looking at the link between the two when you think about students grouping together to learn through the use of technology and the fact they want to use it to enhance their learning experience. These groups that are formed are examples of communities of practices as all the students have an interest in common, as long as the teachers can relate to the students then their is no problem, but when they can't this is where the use of video games is suggested my Prensky to eduacte both students and teachers at the same time, putting them into the same group.
i was just wondering, with Prenskys divide of digital natives and immigrants, where do you think are parents fit in being born throughout the time that all this 'new media' was being developed? does this make them digital natives?
ReplyDeleteim asking because personally my mum is the same age more a less of some of our tutors, which prensky is suggesting are digital immigrants, but my mum knows how to use a computer to a high standard and use the latest mobile etc.
That is a good question, I know what you mean, my my dad is much more of a digital native as he uses all the technology I do along with my granddad who I used as an example in a previous blog. But then my mum is useless and most definitely a digital immigrant.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think age is the only thing to take into consideration like Prensky does. I think it all depends on the person in question. and you can't just lump everyone of the same age into the same category.
so it could be said/agrued that the divide between digital natives and imigrants is blurring? or already blurred?
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