Teaching the iGeneration
Building a Bridge to Better Learning for Today’s Students
You know what the iGeneration looks like in your classroom: Inheriting a world with almost universal access to the Internet, iGeners are almost universally plugged in. iGeners aren’t always the best students, however! Working quickly instead of carefully, they infosnack their way through class, flitting from instant experience to instant experience. Reading deeply, considering multiple perspectives and interacting with others in meaningful ways is pushed aside in a race for immediate gratification.
Today’s students can be inspired by technology - but only after we build a bridge between what they know about new tools and what we know about good teaching, a process introduced by full-time classroom teacher Bill Ferriter in this January 2013 dinner series conversation for the Surrey School District.
Questions for Reflection:
1. What is your initial reaction to Bauerlein’s assertion that today’s students are the dumbest generation and that today’s teachers are ever-optimistic techno-cheerleaders? Do you agree with him? Disagree with him? Why? What evidence can you provide to either support or refute his emotionally loaded labels about our kids and our teachers? Is there any truth in his arguments? Would your role in “the system” change the way that you see and/or feel about Bauerlein’s position? How?
2. What DO we know about good teaching? What skills do you think are essential for today’s kids to master in order to be successful in tomorrow’s world? Are these skills fundamentally different than the skills that students have always had to master in order to be successful? How prepared do you think our school systems are to develop these skills in students? Are there any inherent barriers preventing schools from integrating these skills into the daily curriculum experienced by our kids? What can you do to address those barriers from your position within the system?
3. Would you describe Bill’s microlending work as building a bridge between what today’s students know about digital tools and what we know about efficient and effective learners? Can you see evidence of students mastering the kinds of core academic skills and content knowledge that are required by curricula guides in this project? What changes would need to be made in order for projects like Bill’s to become common in the classrooms of your school and/or district? What tangible steps can YOU take from your position in the system to make these changes a reality?
Contact Information:
If you ever have questions about teaching the iGeneration, feel free to use the contact information below to reach out for advice. Bill is more than willing to help:
Bill Ferriter
101 Wax Myrtle Court
Cary, NC 27513
Twitter: @plugusin
Additional Resources:
Every handout from Bill’s technology book—Teaching the iGeneration—can be downloaded for free by visiting http://bit.ly/tighandouts. You can also learn more about what he’s doing with technology in the middle school classroom by visiting his blog (http://bit.ly/temperedradical) or his professional development wiki (http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com). Finally, today’s resources are posted online at http://bit.ly/tigsurreyschools