Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Digital Learners

In our aged wisdom we "old timers" occasionally forget that our children have grown up in a world very different from the one in which we were reared. We thought the shift from radio to television was a big deal; and one that had implications for teaching and learning. But the rate of technological change our children have experienced has been staggering and challenges our notion of what childhood is really like for today's youth. Blogs, podcasts, cell phones with cameras, distance learning, text messaging, video.... What are the implications for teaching and learning?

This 4 minute take on 21st Century learners encourages an expanded use of new technologies in teaching - but the objectives aren't really new.

We need to teach our students to think...and create.



Thanks Roger.

1 comment:

Kelly Burton said...

This video was so powerful and true. Students today live in a different world than their parents, grandparents, and teachers. So many think technology is a bad thing because they don't understand it or they're scared of it. But, I agree with the message of this video. Students today are digital learners. They need to be able to use "whatever, whenever, wherever" to help them learn. As educators, we need to teach them to "think, create, analzye, evaluate, and apply". One particular part of the video really stood out to me, and that was the student holding a paper with spelling words written several times each. The whiteboard said something to the effect of "What am I learning from this?" Wow. I know a lot of teachers that need to watch this!

-Kelly Burton
EDF 203