"Turning On the Lights"

Written by Marc Prensky

After reading this article I had mixed responses… first of all I thought it was great that the author was advocating for more technology use in the classrooms and I thought he did a great job illustrating the lives of kids today. It is true that the students who are in schools today are more technology based than any other generation before them, and I believe this will increase with every year. Thus I agree with the author that we ought to use technology in our classrooms and make it a tool for learning certain things in school curriculum. However, I cannot agree with him on everything. From his point of view it seems that we should become fully dependant on technology and use it wherever it’s possible. In his article he mentioned that kids come to school and they are forced to power down and are bored most of the time. In a way this is true, but I do not think that incorporating technology and allowing students to use their cell phones and play video games will educate and prepare them for the future. I think that one of the reasons why students are bored in school is because they are challenged with something different, something they are not accustomed to at home and many of them choose not to engage in the material but be bored instead. (Of course, much of this also depends on the teacher).
In conclusion, I want to say that technology is a powerful tool and can benefit students’ learning greatly, but it is only a tool not a substitution for teaching. Also, I believe that a good teacher will realize the importance of technology in today’s world and will incorporate it into her classes to greater benefit the students.