K-12 Teachers . . . Thoughts and more research?

       Being a K-12 teacher has never seemed as harrowing as current day. From pending policy updates requiring kindergartners to be potty-trained or sent home in Pasco County (Fl.) schools, to the declining test scores in what is being called a reading recession among older students. What expectations can teachers set before creating a lesson plan? 

    With the technology gap between digital natives and digital immigrants, teaching can be a labor of toil . . . And love. Time spent correcting behaviors takes away from the learning experience. Digital natives are used to fast-paced, instant gratification over studying sessions and lectures. Asking an iPad kid to sit down and study would of course cause friction. While this may appear to be simply students falling behind each year, maybe their strengths are not being used to their full potential. We are constantly wowed by how toddlers and children pick up on new technology. These are problem solving and pattern recognition skills that may be underutilized when creating instruction. I am very curious on how designers and teachers can harvest these skills for improved learning.