Excellent presentation of some very good research and insight put together by the MacArthur Foundation.
but darn - it's on *youtube, have to watch it at home.
I came away with these thoughts:
I loved their initial focus (on learning and school) -
that learning could isn't the building - but anywhere
that concepts aren't the top dog - but the experience
and that it's not the institution that's important - but the leaner.
In short - we should focus on the kids - not on school; learning - not the institution.
They said we need to understand how kids learn outside of school - socially and ethically.
...what learning looks like in the digital age, and what is the role of the adult.
They talked of the potential of universal authorship and that we need to realize this moment of potential.
They said their findings boiled down to 5 issues:
1. rethink - who are the teachers (bring in new media artists) -
this from me: perhaps building or school professionals are now facilitators rather than content experts
2. create bridges between all spaces kids spend their time outside of school and developing literacy skill set
3. importance of showcases - real audiences - opportunity to show work so that they iterate
4. not sure i got this one - may be iterate ?
5. create clear pathways to new media ie: how kids learn with games - it's clear what to do to get to next level with constant and instant feedback me: why ban games - why not learn from them
They said:
What kids learn using social media depends on how it's taught (civil advocacy, vocational skills, ability to use print literacies and rhetoric, good at creating/imitating best and worst of what they experience in life)
They talked about the difference between authors and audience.
One guy in the audience said we need to push the envelope of CIPA filtering.
This topic was the only piece that riled me and it keeps resonating in me. One of the panel said that she was leary of open filters and that leariness was confirmed when she talked to her daughter - who said - if they had open filters - she would never work at school - she would always be on Facebook. The panelist then added - filtering certainly needs to be a district decision.
To me - that's a time management and ethical issue - a lesson kids today need more than ever. (In fact - what seemed to be the whole premise of this research, etc, how they learn outside of school.)
If this girl is not getting that from home - and her mom is on a rigorous ed panel - you can imagine other kids aren't getting it.
We can't teach this stuff if it isn't available at school. know it's uncomfortable. But it's what's needed.
Then I caught this on a tweet from Alec Couros:
@courosa: "If you care about kids; want to understand how they use tech; read this..."
http://is.gd/54G4D (via BoingBoing) - and need to add this:
The
digitalyouth - Two Page Summary - a summary of findings put out by the Digital Youth Project, Nov 08, via the MacArthur's says this:
In these interest-driven networks, youth may find new peers outside the boundaries of their local community. They can also find opportunities to publicize and distribute their work to online audiences, and to gain new forms of visibility and reputation.
Some youth “geek out” and dive into a topic or talent. Contrary to popular images, geeking out is highly social and engaged, although usually not driven primarily by local friendships. Youth turn instead to specialized knowledge groups of both teens and adults from around the country or world, with the goal of improving their craft and gaining reputation among expert peers. While adults participate, they are not automatically the resident experts by virtue of their age. Geeking out in many respects erases the traditional markers of status and authority.
...New media allow for a degree of freedom and autonomy for youth that is less apparent in a classroom setting. Youth respect one another’s authority online, and they are often more motivated to learn from peers than from adults. Their efforts are also largely self-directed, and the outcome emerges through exploration, in contrast to classroom learning that is oriented by set, predefined goals.
Contrary to adult perceptions, while hanging out online, youth are picking up basic social and technical skills they need to fully participate in contemporary society. Erecting barriers to participation deprives teens of access to these forms of learning. Participation in the digital age means more than being able to access serious online information and culture. Youth could benefit from educators being more open to forms of experimentation and social exploration that are generally not characteristic of educational institutions.
much more insight and reading if you're so inclined.
I've seen this first hand. All I'm saying - all this report is saying, all the findings are saying - that maybe being on Facebook all day is the way to learn - today. Maybe our role is helping to structure that and feed that.
ie:
talk-ed in CO and
english for class 3a in Croatia.
*Youtube is another example - a site that is often blocked. kids are creating all kinds of amazing videos - on youtube. (just like the MacArthur foundation)
Our school broadcast is housed on youtube. It has gotten acclaims from top news casters - ie: Ron Zapollo. Is that not the new way of assessing? Professionals in that field - giving feedback?
So - kids can work on all these things at school - in video class - but viewing them - and working on them for any other class - pretty much has to be done at home.
Check Richard Byrne's insight/efforts
One guy said we shouldn't be spending so much on whiteboards in every classroom but more on cameras and laptops and editing software ( I would add ipods.)
money is another hot issue.
1) Money is keeping things blocked (ie: cipa to my best understanding) - if what kids learn using social media depends on how it is taught, and the two main ways that need to be taught - socially and ethically - are not visible at school - how can they be addressed - and taught - with the authenticity kids need to engageand
2) Money spent with great intention - but on the wrong things - is keeping us from optimizing learning as well. whiteboards are incredible - but one idea to a board - when we could have 4-5 laptops googling research or producing tutorials, via video, etc.
I'm sorry textbooks - but if we have the capability for kids to learn through social media, and we do, then why not furnish them with tools they are dying to use - as opposed to tools hosting only one idea at a time (ie: whiteboard) or tools they rarely crack (ie: textbooks.)
It's a process that boggles me a little bit, that makes me want to break out into song a little bit, that I recommend wholeheartedly to new teachers who now have the luxury of selecting mentors from all around the world.
This is huge – and what we should be offering our students…the luxury of expert tutors (young and old) from all around the world.
That way – we’re reaching all of them. not just three in the middle, or some at each end.
the web is allowing this for the first time ever – in public school.
The final note of the video -
we have to learn to become mentor/colleague/learners ourselves. That means learning how these kids learn outside of the classroom - and going there with them - rather than insisting on how we learned. Here's a
short jing - if you're so inclined.
not a masterpiece - i'm being usefully ignorant
And a look at cool stuff happening...
innovators of 2009
We need to be doing more - talking less... yes?
some helpful resources for trying to unblock youtube in your district via richard byrne's @rmbyrne post: 
