Digital Wisdom

Based on what I  have learned so far on my journey to distance education,  I don’t think a distance learning experience should cater to digital immigrants.  I think that they will adapt on their own.  Maintaining social, cognitive, and teaching presence in a class will help them adapt.  Take my experience with Distance Education. I completed CMU's MSA program between 1996-1999.  At that time distance learning was week night or weekend classes at a satellite campus.  When I had my daughter I contracted a stomach virus and missed a class so I drive to Southfield twice weekly to stay on track for graduation.  When I came back in 2010 for CMU's BTE program there was Blackboard.  Some professors used it and some did not.  I took an online class for the first time.  I printed everything and highlighted my notes just as I would in a classroom.  Then I took a few more classes on line so my commute was less as I was working full time.  As I continued in my program more teachers used Blackboard so I then had more blended classes.  I did more on my laptop than typing papers.  I started taking notes in class and using the library online to do research than actually looking at the catalog and microfiche.  When I stated this program I have done everything online.  I actually have trouble with paper. In my classes I teach from my iPad and not from my lesson plans in a notebook.  I still keep a paper copy due to network and bandwidth issues.  In my classes the videos that I have seen from professors helped my understanding of material, and expectations.  Working in groups online and discussion boards helped as well.  The presence of others and seeing the comments and questions helped me to see I am not alone or am not the only one confused, etc.  I think although Prensky states that educators are digital immigrants, there are some students as well.  Online readiness surveys for students and educators, checklists for educators in distance education readiness as well as introductory videos, micro lectures, clearly stated learning objectives, and badges would be helpful to them. 

Based on the definition of digital wisdom (humans that consider the  way access the power of digital enhancements to facilitate wiser decision making), distance education course should ignite the soft skills needed in the workplace. Collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.  I did not include intuition and instinct because it is understood that those are trusted and developed when exercising these skills.  Project/Problem based learning will enhance digital wisdom as well as challenge learning. Using these learning types in a distance learning classroom, students will have no other choice but to depend on digital enhancements to support their learning and decision making.

Empathy and passion is built in distance education courses through the social presence as well as teacher presence.  When the relation ships are built through these, teachers can allow their passion to be shown as thus, "bring each student to the material they are teaching through each student’s own passion, whatever it may be. "  When that fire is ignited, that is when a teacher begins to facilitate learning.  Empathy is intertwined with this passion because a teacher can sense these passions and interests when developing that social presence in the class.  At this point relationships are built.  The teacher presence also allows students to mutually interact.  Prensky states, "Machines do not have the human ability to care about students, to understand each student as an individual, to empathize with each student’s unique struggles and passions. … liking students—and wanting, almost desperately, to help them. Machines help teachers help students, of course, but they do not provide the fundamental emotional— and human—connection that student need to succeed." 

I think this video sums it up about digital natives, immigrants, empathy and passion in a way that we can all think about the future of educations.

Works Cited

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the horizon,9(5), 1-6.

Prensky, M. (2009). H. sapiens digital: From digital immigrants and digital natives to digital wisdom. Innovate: journal of online education, 5(3), 1.

Prensky, M. (2012). What ISN'T Technology Good At? Empathy, for One Thing!. Educational Technology, 52(5), 64.

Prensky, M. (2012). What Technology ISN’T Good At, Part II: Passion.Educational Technology.