Brain Gain: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom

"In an age where the answer to every question is at your fingertips, where does the human brain fit in?"

In one hand-held object, we are able to manage all of our calendars, documents, and interpersonal relationships with such ease that many people are lost when forced to do perform these tasks without the aid of electronics. Often heard are the calls for less technology and more face-to-face interaction, for fear that the use of all this artificial intelligence is dampening our own ability to think.

Author Marc Prensky has a different idea. In this controversial and well-argued treatise, Prensky offers the idea that rather than stunting the mind―that most essential aspect of an individual's intelligence and sense of self―smart technology (and smart use of technology) enhances our humanity in ways that the brain on its own never could. Through scores of fascinating examples, Prensky shows that the symbiotic combination of the human brain and technology―from marrying the brain's strengths such as sense-making and complex reasoning abilities with technology's strengths like storing and processing large amounts of data―has great benefits for our own cognitive functioning. How should we best combine the strengths of mind and machine for maximum benefit? Prensky's call is for digital wisdom―a new interconnectedness between human and technology that is already enabling Homo Sapiens to begin the journey into the next stages of cognitive evolution.

Marc Prensky, the originator of the terms digital native and digital immigrant, is an internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, and game designer focusing on education and learning. He gives over 50 talks per year around the world, has appeared on CNN, Fox News, CNBC, and the BBC, and has been interviewed in numerous worldwide publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, The Economist, Le Monde, and El Pais. His previous books include Teaching Digital Natives, From Digital Natives to Digital Wisdome, Digital Game-Based Learning, and Don't Bother Me Mom, I'm Learning! Prensky is a prolific essayist and writes a regular column in Educational Technology magazine.