Group items tagged

The Pennsylvania/Delaware/New Jersey Distance Learning Association, a member-supported 501c3 non-profit professional organization, is committed to providing an open discussion forum and relevant resources for professionals concerning the myriad of issues and technological advances in the field of Distance Learning, e-Learning, m-Learning, and Educational Technology.

"It is how they perceive [the web] that makes them different in my opinion," he explains. "Many older people use the web, of course, but for digital natives the web is an integral part of their lives. They go there first, instinctively. And yes, some are better at it than others. I definitely agree that there is a continuum of capabilities among the digital natives. But if we are talking about what makes them different from previous generations, I believe it is this connection to the web."

She says this group of learners is more globally aware, thanks to the internet, and more adept at collaborative uses of the web.

"This generation definitely has a thematic approach to learning," she says, "which is not about, 'I'm a vessel--go ahead and fill me up.' It's about, 'I'm the master of my own educational destiny. Give me lots of input and I'll find what I think is most important.' Most of the [K-12] schools I talk to still believe that they are the custodians of knowledge. But for these kids, increasingly, [schools] are just one more source of input."

"They go to a website and look something up,

Certainly, there is no clinical evidence to back up any claims about physical changes in the brains of today's traditional-age students. But educators are providing anecdotal evidence of a shift in how students approach learning and education in general.