Cool! I have paid extra money to get my hands on . . . well, not really my hands; and this part makes me uncomfortable with my resource. I love books. I love to read. I greet and handle my books in a loving way. I'm one of those crazy people who love to look at the cover, the spine, and the back of a book. I check out the index before the table of contents. I sometimes peruse a book from back to front. I smell my books. This is not a fetish, nor am I kinky in any way. Some of you, like me, are baby boomers; we remember the smell of freshly printed books. They aren't quite the same anymore with the new processes printers use, but old habits are hard to break.

So here I am, looking at my book on a screen. I can't smell it or feel the cover beneath my fingers, nor can I get out my highlighter and mark the essentials I am seeking. As my eyes scan the print on the screen and I scroll from page to page, thoughts are quickly entering my memory and leaving just as fast. "Oh, that's important; I'll remember to find that tomorrow when the real book arrives. Shall I take notes? Too much trouble when it will all be at my beck and call tomorrow. What interesting information! I need to underline something. I need to stick a sticky note here and there. I'd even fold a corner down if I could." (Book lovers, I know this is a sacrilege, but I am feeling desperate.)

My brain tries hard to fit in to the techno era. I can use my laptop like a pro in many ways. I own two iPods. I use a Smartphone, which, by the way, is much smarter than I am! I gave up my paper calendar years ago. But a book . . . a book is another story altogether. A book comes alive when I hold it in my hands, when I smell it and mark in it. I get to write my name in it. I doodle, draw arrows, make stars, and I take notes in the backs of my books. Is there something wrong with my brain that I so dislike this process of reading a book on a screen?

My students and my children have no problem reading books on their computers or on their Kindles, the digital reader offered by Amazon. They can highlight on their Kindles, so I have been tempted to step into that area of digital geography. But I'm not ready. Not yet. And my brain isn't either.

The authors of iBrain (Small & Vorgan, 2008) call people like me "digital immigrants," but I feel more like a digital dinosaur. We didn't grow up with the new technology, so as adults our brains are trying to adjust. Because our brains are so malleable as a result of their neuroplasticity, they will change as we accept the challenge and the excitement of catching up in the 21st century. My son, Josh, is 33, and his sister, Marnie, is 31. Josh is a member of Generation X, the most educated group in history. Marnie's age puts her on the cusp between the Gen Xers and the Net Generation. Sometimes the Net Generation is called Generation Y. For those born from 1998 to the present, we refer to Generation Next, also known as Generation Z. The Net Gens are digital natives who have grown up in this digital era. Nothing scares them about technology. Nothing surprises them. In fact, their expectations are such that this is all very normal. Why read a book any other way than on a computer, an iPod, or a Smartphone? Or watch a television show? Or a movie?

I have a feeling that some of you had trouble following me in that last paragraph. You are wondering what generation you are in. You are wondering if you are teachings Xs, Ys, or Zs. And in your hearts, you hope you are teaching As, Bs, and Cs! Refer to Figure I.1 for some clarification. I know I will!

Figure I.1. Generations of Technology Users

It's time we all met the "digital brains." They are in our classrooms, teachers' rooms, and boardrooms. They are here to stay, just as brain research is. Instead of focusing on what's wrong with this new era, let's get into the 21st century. We need to use the technology tools, learn the digital dialogue, and understand and relate better to our students. The key to learning is relationships. Many of our students have strong relationships with and through these digital devices. By creating our own relationships with these instruments, we will build stronger relationships with our students.

Let us not forget, though, that movement, art, music, and play still belong in the classroom. This book asks you to seek understanding, but also balance.

In Part 1 of the book, I tell you how digital technology is changing the brain and discuss what's new and applicable from brain research. In this section, I also explain how some of the brain-based teaching principles apply in the digital world. In Part 2 of the book, I talk about the whole child, learning environments, and the importance of group learning. Part 3 covers music, mind mapping, and memory. In Part 4, I explore the topic of how to try to balance 21st century technological skills with people skills and look at some options for what future learning will be like. Each chapter includes "instant messages" with bits of useful information.

Throughout this book, we will focus on the need for our students to have emotional intelligence, creativity, and the ability to synthesize information to be successful in a world that is changing from an information age to a conceptual age. I ask you to consider the material presented here, whether you are a digital native or a digital immigrant. The brain is changing, and so can you.