Summary of Do They Really Think Differently
8/30/12
“Do They Really Think Differently” Mark Prensky
Summary
With the changing of society through technology, it is hypothesized that Digital Native’s (current generation that has grown up on technology) brains are physically different than other generations due to the stimuli they received growing up on technology. It was previously believed that your brain could not be physically changed after about the age of three. But through studies and research it has been proven differently. Research has shown that in fact the brain is constantly creating new brain cells and reorganizing itself. One of the earliest experiments on testing brain altering was done in a study on rats. It was shown that when rats were put in different environments, their brain sensory areas and layers changed quite quickly. Also, steady growth in brain alteration was monitored throughout the entire testing. There are also other many other studies in which it shows the brain can adapt and change to different situations. Another key fact in proving that brains can be physically different has been found through social psychology. It has been found that people who have grown up in different cultures not only think about different things, but also literally think differently. The outside world and culture can literally shape a persons mind into the manner of which that person thinks. While the environment in which you grow up in and are molded through does determine how you think, it takes a long time and hard work. You can’t teach your mind to read and learn through sequences in one night, as it takes practice, practice, and more practice. It also takes a great deal of focus for a large period of time in order to reorganize your brain. Digital Natives have spent a great deal of time since they were born doing one thing in particular that requires practice and a large amount of focus…gaming. Ever since the creation of video games, children have literally been rewiring their
“Do They Really Think Differently” Mark Prensky
Summary
With the changing of society through technology, it is hypothesized that Digital Native’s (current generation that has grown up on technology) brains are physically different than other generations due to the stimuli they received growing up on technology. It was previously believed that your brain could not be physically changed after about the age of three. But through studies and research it has been proven differently. Research has shown that in fact the brain is constantly creating new brain cells and reorganizing itself. One of the earliest experiments on testing brain altering was done in a study on rats. It was shown that when rats were put in different environments, their brain sensory areas and layers changed quite quickly. Also, steady growth in brain alteration was monitored throughout the entire testing. There are also other many other studies in which it shows the brain can adapt and change to different situations. Another key fact in proving that brains can be physically different has been found through social psychology. It has been found that people who have grown up in different cultures not only think about different things, but also literally think differently. The outside world and culture can literally shape a persons mind into the manner of which that person thinks. While the environment in which you grow up in and are molded through does determine how you think, it takes a long time and hard work. You can’t teach your mind to read and learn through sequences in one night, as it takes practice, practice, and more practice. It also takes a great deal of focus for a large period of time in order to reorganize your brain. Digital Natives have spent a great deal of time since they were born doing one thing in particular that requires practice and a large amount of focus…gaming. Ever since the creation of video games, children have literally been rewiring their