Post #1

I believe that the Net Gen/21st Century learners do learn differently. They are used to a different lifestyle than people born prior to the 1980s are, the major factor being that they grew up with surrounded with technology. I grew up with the technology that the reading was talking about, and I know what it is like to grow up with parents who understand nothing about the things that I could pick up much more rapidly. Even as early as elementary school, my school was using computer games to teach reading, writing, and math in a more fun manner, and immersing my fellow students and I in the emerging technology. My mother is a Digital Immigrant, because she is always wanting to learn about new technology and will usually want whatever new digital device I have after she's seen mine. For example, she purchased an iPod after she had a chance to try out mine, and loves using it, though she has difficulty adding music to it even though iPods were designed to be simple to add music to. Now that I have an iPod touch, she wants one too, rather than the simple Nano she has right now. My dad is almost completely against new technology, and only grudgingly uses his old cell phone that still has a green screen. 

I agree with Prenksy's thinking that anyone who can memorize all the characteristics of over 100 Pokemon can learn other facts that involve the real world. However, the way they are learning the Pokemon characteristics doesn't involve them reading from a big book full of text. It's in little snippets contained on a card or popping up on a video game screen. They're fed it in little bits over and over and they learn it quickly so they can use the information in the game. 

The ideas surrounding the Net Gen learners are also very relevant. I'd rather learn in a team as opposed to alone, because then I can see what others think and they might know something I don't. For example, in one of my classes, we've been teamed up to teach various chapters in our textbook using lesson plans. I've never used a lesson plan before, and having someone else's input helped me see how to be able to write one on my own.

These new concepts make a lot of sense to me as someone who has grown up with the technology surrounding them and actively using the concepts in my own life.