Education or Edutainment - what do 21st century students really want?

I have been pondering this question for a few days and I think the answer is really quiet simple. As we have read, the old fashioned 'chalk and talk' method of teaching where the students are 'talked at' and sit through class after class of lectures, reading, lectures and more reading, is just not enough to engage the modern learner, and this is really no surprise...

The 21st Century learner has a wealth of exciting and interesting technology at home including Nintendo, Playstation, Wii, i-pods, mobile phones, digital cameras the internet and so on - the list continues to expand on a monthly basis. Why then, would students want to leave these tools at home when they come to school?

This notion has been explored in a great article by Marc Prensky (2001), Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants'. In his article Prensky (2001) states that "Today's students - K through college - represent the first generations to grow up with this new technology. They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, video cams, cell phones and all the other tools and toys of the digital age."

Prensky (2001) goes on to say that "It is now clear that as result of this ubiquitous environment and the sheer volume of their interaction with it, today's students think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors".

Traditional classrooms must seem pretty ho-hum in comparision to the exciting world of technology.

For many of us, now studying to become teachers, we can remember our childhoods and schooling as a time when there were no computers in schools, let alone at home, most of our free time was spent playing outside, and televisions and microwaves were the most modern pieces of technology in the home.

I think it's important to remember that although technology is now part of our world, for many 21st century students, technology IS their world.

Prensky (2001) has given students of today a new name. He calls them "Digital Natives". He states that "Our students of today are all 'native speakers' of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet. That makes the rest of us, those not born into the digital world, 'Digital Immigrants'". Prensky (2001).

So - yes - I believe the 21st century student does want entertainment at school, or "Edutainment" as Prensky (2001) calls it, but not in a frivolous and directionless way, but in a way that enables them to engage with their learning, to make a connection with others in their class, their school and the wider community, in a way that lets them relate what they are learning to the real-world and in a way that prepares them for their futures.

I believe the following You Tube video is a wonderful example of how teaching is being transformed by the use of technology in the classroom and really inspires me to be creative and keep on learning.

I also love this quote,

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." John Cotton Dana