Prensky: Enraged or Simply Irritated?

I do not think today’s learners ‘demand’ technology in the classroom. Far from it!

As expressed by Greg today, in the ICTs tutorial, I believe it is difficult to believe that students demand anything ICT-wise, in the classroom. Indeed, it took him months to shake the common belief by the classroom body that education and learning is far more than just textbook readings and photocopies of monotonous activites.

It was not until university, sadly enough, when I was first encouraged to think for myself! Beforehand I, like many students before me, simply wrote and did what the teachers told me to do without ever daring to question the methods the teacher was using!

Unfortunately, my experience of schooling was summed up by Peter Drucker’s (1992) quote (perhaps taken out of context!):

                ‘We know nothing about motivation. All we can do is write a book about it.’

-       I understand the content and what the content is about. But I lack the emotional connection to it!!

As such, although I criticize the concept of today’s learners ‘demanding’ technology in the classroom, I do understand the ‘engage me or enrage me’ concept. Although, perhaps ‘enrage’, in my experience is a rather strong word.                                                                                                        

As is understood from Prensky’s (2005) book ‘Engage Me or Enrage Me’; the ‘enraged’ are those students (fast-growing in number) who, aptly put, ‘tune us out’ (Prensky, 2005). To these students, school is just the thing to kill time between breakfast and sleep.

So although ‘enraged’, would not be a term I would use. Mildly annoyed or irritated could be an appropriate substitute if they rhymed with ‘engage’.