USING TECHNOLOGY AS A LEARNING
TOOL, NOT JUST THE COOL NEW THING
Ben McNeely
North Carolina State University
© Ben McNeely
I fully realized the digital age when I first spoke to my grandparents over the "talk" feature on AOL
Instant Messenger. How cool is it, I thought, to have grandparents that not only have a computer, but
know how to use it? What was more striking was that my grandfather, a man who never had much
formal technical education, built not one, but two, computers from parts—motherboard, disk drives, hard
drives, and so forth—with the help of my cousin. He has high-speed Internet access, sends and
receives e-mail, burns CDs, and chats online using IM. He even built a computer for my grandmother,
who uses it to check the obituaries daily on the Winston-Salem Journal Web site and does online jigsaw
puzzles. She can no longer do real ones, as the pieces are too small for her to see and grasp.
Growing Up with Technology
In kindergarten, I was introduced to the Apple II computer. We were herded into the library and seated in
front of a big-screen television. There, the librarian demonstrated the computer and its uses. She even
showed us a game: The Oregon Trail—arguably the most popular computer game of our generation. It
was simple, informative, and interactive. I can't tell you how many times I got my wagon stuck in the
mud or how many teammates I killed off with cholera or malaria.
For my classmates and me, computers were just tools to get things done. Mastery of technological skills
was a way to show we were advancing further than our classmates. In middle school, my family bought
our first home computer. We also were hooked up to the Internet for the first time. It was a dial-up
connection, slow compared to the instantaneous broadband speeds nowadays, but nonetheless, we
were surfing the Net.
As a Boy Scout, my troop would participate in scout shows at the local mall. While other troops
demonstrated traditional scouting skills, like pitching tents and lashing up towers, my troop set up a
computer cluster and took digital pictures of people in the mall. Using Photoshop, we cut their images
out of the pictures, placed them on backgrounds of their choosing, and gave them printouts.
My brother, a senior in high school, now uses WebAssign to complete homework problems for chemistry
class. A Web-based learning application developed at North Carolina State University (NCSU),
WebAssign is used across disciplines as a way for teachers to assess their students and offer
supplemental information outside the lecture. He even applied to college using an online application.
As a member of the Net Generation, I have been surrounded by advances in digital technology, almost
to the point where I cannot do my work as a journalist without it. In university, I have used assessment
tools such as WebAssign and WebCT in classes as supplements to lecture and textbook. But now
technology is advancing at such a rate that traditional ways of teaching and learning are not pushing
students and teachers to their full potential. By using IT properly in the classroom, teaching and learning
are enhanced and given a new dimension. Before curricula can be created to challenge the Net
Generation, though, faculty must know how Net Geners learn and interact with each other, with
technology, and with life in general. Remember that word—interact.
How the Net Gen Learns
Are you interested in knowing how Net Geners learn? Let me illustrate using my friends, me, and my
grandfather.
USING TECHNOLOGY AS A LEARNING TOOL, NOT JUST THE COOL NEW THING Ben McNeely North Carolina State University © Ben McNeely I fully realized the digital age when I first spoke to my grandparents over the "talk" feature on AOL Instant Messenger. How cool is it, I thought, to have grandparents that not only have a computer, but know how to use it? What was more striking was that my grandfather, a man who never had much formal technical education, built not one, but two, computers from parts—motherboard, disk drives, hard drives, and so forth—with the help of my cousin. He has high-speed Internet access, sends and receives e-mail, burns CDs, and chats online using IM. He even built a computer for my grandmother, who uses it to check the obituaries daily on the Winston-Salem Journal Web site and does online jigsaw puzzles. She can no longer do real ones, as the pieces are too small for her to see and grasp. Growing Up with Technology In kindergarten, I was introduced to the Apple II computer. We were herded into the library and seated in front of a big-screen television. There, the librarian demonstrated the computer and its uses. She even showed us a game: The Oregon Trail—arguably the most popular computer game of our generation. It was simple, informative, and interactive. I can't tell you how many times I got my wagon stuck in the mud or how many teammates I killed off with cholera or malaria. For my classmates and me, computers were just tools to get things done. Mastery of technological skills was a way to show we were advancing further than our classmates. In middle school, my family bought our first home computer. We also were hooked up to the Internet for the first time. It was a dial-up connection, slow compared to the instantaneous broadband speeds nowadays, but nonetheless, we were surfing the Net. As a Boy Scout, my troop would participate in scout shows at the local mall. While other troops demonstrated traditional scouting skills, like pitching tents and lashing up towers, my troop set up a computer cluster and took digital pictures of people in the mall. Using Photoshop, we cut their images out of the pictures, placed them on backgrounds of their choosing, and gave them printouts. My brother, a senior in high school, now uses WebAssign to complete homework problems for chemistry class. A Web-based learning application developed at North Carolina State University (NCSU), WebAssign is used across disciplines as a way for teachers to assess their students and offer supplemental information outside the lecture. He even applied to college using an online application. As a member of the Net Generation, I have been surrounded by advances in digital technology, almost to the point where I cannot do my work as a journalist without it. In university, I have used assessment tools such as WebAssign and WebCT in classes as supplements to lecture and textbook. But now technology is advancing at such a rate that traditional ways of teaching and learning are not pushing students and teachers to their full potential. By using IT properly in the classroom, teaching and learning are enhanced and given a new dimension. Before curricula can be created to challenge the Net Generation, though, faculty must know how Net Geners learn and interact with each other, with technology, and with life in general. Remember that word—interact. How the Net Gen Learns Are you interested in knowing how Net Geners learn? Let me illustrate using my friends, me, and my grandfather.
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