Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

I readily admit it. I don't even rank. I am below the Digital Immigrant. Paper and I have a long standing relationship, but technology? We've always been at odds. So no matter what faults they may bear, however unwilling they are to integrate with the Natives, I have an almost grudging respect for the Digital Immigrants for being able to do what I cannot: walk the digital walk, and talk it's stupid lingo. That being said, I can also understand what I percieve to be frustration coming from Marc Prensky on the subject of non-integrated, out dated teaching methods. While I personally enjoy SOME lectures, I too have fallen victim to the attention span that wishes, just once, that someone would teach me Mathematics in a way that didn't make me want to jump out a window. Kids these days (I never really pictured myself ever uttering that phrase) were born into a world that moves at a staggering pace. It's become much easier to understand information placed in an interesting digital medium, especially since video games seem to dominate books in young childrens lives (much to my dismay). But I digress, the point is that what once worked, may not always work. Trying to resist changing with the times is like fighting the tides, tiring and ultimately a losing battle. If administrators would only work with those who understand kids, learning could be presented in a manner that benefits all involved. This may sound like a silly example, but does anyone remember School House Rock? It sang you information in fun, though slightly outdated now, tunes and enjoyable characters. I could sing/recite the preamble, give details about the revolution, give you at least five examples of interjections and tell you the job of a pronoun without breaking a sweat by the time I was seven. To me, that is a perfect example of a technological media being used for learning purposes in a way that makes learning fun. And please, if you ever need to know about the U.S.'s westward expansion, I have a song for you.