Marc Prensky

Keynote by Speaker Marc Prensky

The world needs a new curriculum

It is time to rethink our 19th century education for the future, says Prensky, not in terms of marginal fixes, but from first principles. Global education needs, he argues, a New Goal, a New Pedagogy, and a New sense of What is Important to Teach. The new goal, says Prensky is “becoming” rather than “learning” –  education needs to move beyond “passing on or creating content” and beyond even “problem-based learning” to Accomplishment-Based Education. This “New Core” curriculum needs to be based on individual student passions, have technology as its underlying foundation, and it must focus teachers, as guides.

Keynote by Speaker Marc Prensky

Today’s digital natives – and tomorrow’s

A decade and a half ago, when Prensky coined the terms Digital Natives and Digital immigrants, there was no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram, not even You Tube!  And yet the huge cultural and attitudinal changes to come were already being perceived by him. Today many of these changes are recognized by all — although not always as helpful. But, says Prensky not only are most of them positive, there are many more dramatic positive changes to come. In this original perceptive talk, Prensky shows just how much the world’s culture and context are in rapid flux because of technology, and how the concept of Digital Natives has evolved.

Keynote by Speaker Marc Prensky

Expanding minds for the 3rd millennium

Most see today’s digital technology as a useful — but optional — tool in their lives. Prensky argues the opposite — that technology is now required, and that turning it off makes us lesser human beings. Prensky helps audiences understand how and why the same technology that is scaring many in the older, pre-Internet generations to death is also greatly empowering and exciting today’s youth.

Keynote by Speaker Marc Prensky

Powerfully integrating technology

Although everyone knows today’s technology is powerful, far too many, limited by past experience, see it only as a new and faster way to do things we could do before. This narrow vision is only the “trivial” side of technology use, argues Prensky — there is a much more powerful set of new technology uses empowering all of us — even elementary school students —  to do things that humans could never do before. In this amusing, powerful and future-oriented talk, Prensky shows how we can avoid “Digital Stupidity” and become digitally wiser, more powerful people, who can use our powerful technology to improve the world.

Keynote by Speaker Marc Prensky

Teaching and training in the 21st century

The concepts of “teaching” and “training” are going through profound changes in our time — and not just because of technology. In our fast changing third millennium, with its coming deep exploration of both outer and virtual space, we need all our students and workers to become capable, good, people, who improve the world they live in. In this original and insightful talk, Marc Prensky show audiences how such a “New Core” can be integrated into our teaching and training, using a new methodology of “Accomplishment-Based Education.” Prensky also shows how to avoid letting the “luster” of the new technologies mask the real progress we need in education and training.