“It’s Not ADD—I’m Just Not Listening!”

Marc Prensky in his “Engage me or enrage me” presents his main idea about how to utilize technology effectively and efficiently to engage students in learning instead if using it as “Eye-candy”, “creating engagement is not about those fancy, expensive graphics but rather about ideas”, Prensky, (2005). He describes three kinds of today’s students; students who are truly self-motivated, students who are going through the motions, and students who are “tune us out.” Prensky, (2005). The motto of the first kind of students, who represent no problem and they are fewer and fewer in schools, is: “I can’t wait to get to class.”, Prensky, (2005). I think doing “new things in new ways”, Prensky, (2005)j, may be doubling their learning outcomes. While, the motto of the second kind of students, who realize that their future may depend on the grades, is “Engage me or enrage me.”, Prensky, (2005), they study the night before the test to achieve a passing score; they are not representing too big challenge if we could, at least, keeping them at the same level, though engage them is important.

Prensky focus on the third kind of students who believe that school is devoid of interest and… irrelevant to their life… and they “tune us out.” Prensky, (2005). They represent a real challenge because in more and more of the schools, this group is quickly becoming the majority, their motto is “Engage me or enrage Me.”, Prensky, (2005). The kids do what engage them and they are good at , they master and understand systems ten times more complex than the “Yesterday’s education”. Nowadays we teach “tomorrow’s kids” with “Yesterday’s education”. But, where is tomorrow’s stuff, the stuff that engages the students, the stuff they are good at; the students are missing their stuff and that's what makes them so enraged. Twenty-first century education needs a lot of changes which engage the students in learning; they are not ADD, they are just not listening. Reiser & Dempsey (2011) say that “learners who fail to pay attention will never receive the information to be learned in the first place”. Thus, what we need to do to find this important factor; “listening”. Prensky, (2006), said: “I believe our kids will start listening again when we began to listen and, to value their passions and developing skills”.

“Games are Not the enemy”, Prensky, (2006). Prensky believes that video games have the power to do great things and like lots and lots of other things, they can be misused but if used correctly, video games have the massive potential that books and later computer did, Prensky, (2006). Educational games can engage students in learning, “they’ll be able to accelerate kids language and cognitive growth and, prepare them for the high-tech global world, they will live in”, Prensky, (2006). By experience, good video games, not “Eye-candy”, offer better learning opportunities and motivate student learning.”I believe that the real reason kids play computer and video game is that they’re learning”, Prensky, (2006). Prensky believes that “digital based-learning meets the needs and learning styles of today’s and the future’s generation of learners… is motivating because it is fun… is enormously versatile, adaptable to almost any subject, information, or skill to be learned, and when used correctly, is extremely effective”, Prensky (2007).

References:

1.      Prensky, M. (2005). “Engage me or enrage me”. Educause review Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

2.      Prensky, M. (2005)j. Shaping Tech for the Classroom; 21st-century schools need 21st-century technology. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/adopt-and-adapt-shaping-tech-for-classroom

3.      Prensky, M. (2006). Don’t bother me mom-I’m learning. Paragon house.

4.      Prensky, M. (2007). Digital Game Based-Learning. Paragon house.

5.      Reiser & Dempsey (2011). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology. Pearson.

See this You Tube: Marc Prensky part one and
click here to see part two: "Engage me or enrage me".