The Digital Natives of St. Mary's School - How Can We Reach Them Educationally

The children of St. Mary's School in grades four - six are active consumers and users of digital technology. Their interests range from internet sites that are entertaining to virtual communities( a special favorite of our sixth grade girls). They email and chat. They use cell phone and text messages. They (especially the boys from grades 2-6) love video games ranging from Pokemon to more complicated games, like Roller Coaster Tycoon. They are sophisicated and constant users of digital technology.
As an educator, I beleive it is imperative that our children integrate these tools into their educational structures. Learning does require discipline and a certain amount of motivation but why not tap in to our children's natural curiosity and use it for the sake of learning.

I ask you, Are our kids thinking differently? If you are Marc Prensky you may believe they are. Marc states that, ""Children raised with the computer “think differently from the rest of us. They develop hypertext minds. They leap around. It’s as though their cognitive structures were parallel, not sequential.” This parallel world, children need parallel tools to support their thinking and mental models. Some tools I have found helpful are:

• Kidspiration - allowing a child to make mental models of ideas and to think in a parallel fashion.
• Golly Gee Blocks - a simulatoin program using 3d figures. A great tool for representing concept like:
• Perception
• Directionality
• Recognizing and drawing with shapes
• Blogs - the verdict is out. Will blogs afford children with another way to think in a parallel world?

Our children deserve our best efforts. We are at a critical time in education and in our thinking process. Let's be there, with our kids!