Restless digital nativesThe impact on learning from the spaces, flows and networks of the internet

Colin CampbellBridging the Gap

Conference Nov 2009

Through the Network (of Networks) – the Fifth Estate

by William H. DuttonProfessor of Internet Studies, Oxford Internet Institute

This space of flows enables a multitude of actors to reconfigure access to information, people, services and technologies.

Questions I’d like to discuss

1. How useful is the term ‘digitial natives’?

2. What can we learn from recent studies into the ways young people are using technology?

3. What are useful habits to adopt in our digital age?

4. Where is learning going?

What I am going to talk about?1. How useful is the term ‘digitial natives’?

Web 2.0, 3.0.... how do you react to videos like the one we just watched?

Digital native?

notions of digital natives vs digital immigrants can inhibit understanding

Digital native?

Digital native?

Digital childhood?

2. What can we learn from recent studies of the ways young people are using technology?

Slide ‘borrowed’ from Ewan McIntosh (apologies)

Slide ‘borrowed’ from Ewan McIntosh (apologies)

Living and Learning with NewMedia: Summary of Findingsfrom the Digital Youth Project

The research was a joint project ofthe University of Southern California and the Universityof California, Berkeley.Research SummaryOver three years, University of California, Irvineresearcher Mizuko Ito and her team interviewed over800 youth and young adults and conducted over 5000hours of online observations as part of the most extensiveU.S. study of youth media use.

Hanging around - people they know

Messing about - video, images, mashing

Geeking Out - special interest groups (beyond their local social network) - critiquing, creating, analysing

increased complexity

higher order thinking

skills

Living and Learning with NewMedia: Summary of Findingsfrom the Digital Youth Project

The research was a joint project ofthe University of Southern California and the Universityof California, Berkeley.Research SummaryOver three years, University of California, Irvineresearcher Mizuko Ito and her team interviewed over800 youth and young adults and conducted over 5000hours of online observations as part of the most extensiveU.S. study of youth media use.

Conclusion

Peer-based learning has unique properties that suggest alternatives to formal instruction, influence of respected peers

There are, of course, idiosyncratic and distinctly varied levels of use of digital tools and social networks

Walled Gardens?

New Millenium Learners 2009

The OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) launched the New Millennium Learners (NML) project in 2007. It has the global aim of investigating the effects of digital technologies on school-age learners and providing recommendations on the most appropriate institutional and policy responses from the education sector.

Cultural capital crucial

No clear links between technology use and academic achievement (with the exception of some writing skills)

Access key to social inclusion

Slide ‘borrowed’ from Ewan McIntosh (apologies)

Slide ‘borrowed’ from Ewan McIntosh (apologies)

Both studies show the dominant use is young people interacting socially online and establishing norms within groups

Access to these spaces important for social interaction

Important difference here from previous generations = digital childhood

Using technology is instinctive but not in itself ‘motivating’ for students

pedagogy has to be adaptable to

accomodate different types and levels of

learner

Discussion ?

4. What are the possible next steps for learning?

Pedagogy

Technology

Giles and musical overload

“I’ve given up trying to keep up but it’s better, I’m just focusing on arranging better events”

Giles, music promoter

You don’t need to know all the stops but you need to be able to fair-adjust

habits and key ‘big’ skills

Howard Rheingold on media litercieshttp://vimeo.com/5659525

#1 Attention

#2 Participation

#3 Collaboration

#4 Network Savvy

#5 Critical Consumption

#1 Global awareness

#2 Information

processing

#3 Self-directed

Slow shift towards inquiry based learning

assessment for learningfixed rubrics and criteria

teacher guidedgroup tasks

Traditional schooling

Contemporary schools

Factory/ industry model class rank

delivered curriculumtransmission

textbook focusfixed curriculum

teacher led

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4126240905912531540#

self-directedpeer-mentoringessential literaciesmutual inquiry

teachers guiding, provokingco-conspirators

complex not complicated

Future schools

Are the ‘geeked out’ and highly web-connected guilty of painting a subjective even idealised picture here?

Stephen Downes: National Research Council, Institute for Information Technology, Canada

“Here's my problem with your ideology, Stephen, which appears to me to be even more radical than constructivism and tries not only to describe or defend a new epistemology, but appears to disrupt social systems as well, in the name of some putative technocommunism that will reign supreme on the Internet with everybody working for nothing and getting everything for free and living happily ever after.”

catfitz on Stephen’s blog

Predicts technology will break the pattern of failed school changes and push

schools into a new paradigm.

Clayton ChristensenHarvard Business School

Where next for learning spaces and

schools?

Digital Allotments

Images (all from flickr)

Trailing Above North Cascades National Park in a Meteor Shower by Fort Photo

Happy Spaceman (Loves Engrish) by Network Osaka

Road Block by giugesco

Shadow Man on the Bakerloo line by Semi-detached

The Things You Own, End Up Owning You by Willie Chiang