How does being "wired for distraction" affect the classroom?
You have to be connected to connect
I believe in running a connected classroom, so I have a learning environment where if I don't inspire students to use the internet for "good" they will use it to meet their own goals. While many argue that we have to create a quiet and distraction free work environment, we also must acknowledge that our students are trained to "check-in" to their devices on very regular intervals.What strategies can educators use to create engagement?
Teach positive tech engagement as a skill:
So in this environment is is necessary to teach students how to manage their digital resources and engage the internet in a purposeful manner. I use this challenge as the opportunity to teach my students about digital citizenship and how to use and develop Personal Learning Networks.
Leverage their pre-existing engagement
All of this falls under the basic idea of meeting the students where they are at, leveraging their pre-existing engagement into learning. I once told a colleague, "If I have to crawl through a student's earbuds to get to them, I will!" Now I reflect on how fortunate I am that I can get at the kids through their ear buds, I can come at them bigger than life in a video, I can lead them on a digital journey. All of this is possible because I am teaching them how to use their toys for work.Teach them everything you need them to know
My last piece of advice for this post is to not assume anything about skills or comfort with your students and tech. If we look at them as digital natives, we need to indoctrinate them into our academic culture and shape them into digital citizens. This requires meeting them wherever they are at and teaching every skill along the way (from managing login information to file naming conventions). By teaching and modeling mindful application of tech to learning we can help all students realize more of the potential in themselves and their tech. Learning is Living.
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