Marc Prensky

The author of digital immigrant, digital native which I talk about earlier in my blog. This was the topics of todays Professional Reading Professional Development. We had a presentation by the principal about the slide show the marc prensky presented at the international principals conference earlier this year in Auckland. Now the reading part was reading what was on the powerpoint. The discussion grew throughout the topics on the screen. Some of it was light hearted, others were more thoughtful and though provoking.
Are we made to feel that we are out of date with the technology and not keeping up with the play.
Who used email in the last 24 hours, why, because todays digital native either IM's or TXT's, I like when he asked this question as I had just emailed a student back about the homework he submitted last night. But i was made to feel that I was out of date with todays technology. Maybe I should have been doing it through a blog or wiki. Hey, I have only just got my students creating a blog and gmail account so they can do this as part of there assessment. You cannot change the world in one day.
Also when they started talking about TXTing and using the mobile phone in class, a few topics came into my head, credit in the way of who pays for this, because tone comment I hear from the students quite regularly is that "I don't have any credit on my phone", The teachers credit being used, so I asked, "Are you looking at putting in a server for this so the txt messages can be sent and received a little cost", ok this is over the head of the principal. What about the students who do not have a cell phone, after a bit of discussion and things, I found that three of my Year 13 students don't have a cell phone, they don't need one.
Ok, interesting.
How can todays technology be used, hell I would like to see students with a email account at school, it would make dealing with somethings a little bit easier, no gmail account for one reason!
Also what about using the videos and images that students have on there cellphones, teachers are taking there cellphones out on duty and taking PXTs of disruptive behavior and students giving false names. Students don't know how to deal with it, how are teachers to cope?
How about increasing the students network storage space at school from 30Meg to at least 100 Meg, it would help with todays media and content rich environment.
That will do with todays rant and rave. Tune in tomorrow when I visit a intermediate school to see what they are doing with ICT and why are secondary schools teaching microsoft word basics.