Group items tagged

by Marc Prensky Our children today are being socialized in a way that is vastly different from their parents. The numbers are overwhelming: over 10,000 hours playing videogames, over 200,000 emails and instant messages sent and received; over 10,000 hours talking on digital cell phones; over 20,000 hours watching TV (a high percentage fast speed MTV), over 500,000 commercials seen-all before the kids leave college. And, maybe, at the very most, 5,000 hours of book reading. These are today's ―Digital Native‖ students. 1 In Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Part I, I discussed how the differences between our Digital Native students and their Digital Immigrant teachers lie at the root of a great many of today's educational problems. I suggested that Digital Natives' brains are likely physically different as a result of the digital input they received growing up. And I submitted that learning via digital games is one good way to reach Digital Natives in their ―native language.‖ Here I present evidence for why I think this is so. It comes from neurobiology, social psychology, and from studies done on children using games for learning.

by Marc Prensky Our children today are being socialized in a way that is vastly different from their parents. The numbers are overwhelming: over 10,000 hours playing videogames, over 200,000 emails and instant messages sent and received; over 10,000 hours talking on digital cell phones; over 20,000 hours watching TV (a high percentage fast speed MTV), over 500,000 commercials seen-all before the kids leave college. And, maybe, at the very most, 5,000 hours of book reading. These are today's ―Digital Native‖ students. 1 In Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Part I, I discussed how the differences between our Digital Native students and their Digital Immigrant teachers lie at the root of a great many of today's educational problems. I suggested that Digital Natives' brains are likely physically different as a result of the digital input they received growing up. And I submitted that learning via digital games is one good way to reach Digital Natives in their ―native language.‖ Here I present evidence for why I think this is so. It comes from neurobiology, social psychology, and from studies done on children using games for learning.

Hi. I wrote a paper about digital natives as part of an anthropology assignment for a doctoral course. Researchers from around the world have empirically proven that Prensky's theories are false. Additionally, while neuroscience has shown that brains do change as a result of neuroplasticity, to argue that it is generational is also a false claim. Though cognitive theory shows that learners bring their prior experiences to the interpretation of new educational opportunities - impacting attention and interpretation - all generations have had this occur. There is merit to the point that we should take learner's prior experience into consideration when designing instruction; however, Prensky's digital native claims may have done more to create tension between students and teachers than to provide instructional support. If you would like any of the scholarly studies, I have a published reference list at http://brholland.com/reference-list. Beth

No cell phone use in schools - text messages, cheating, school fights

We complain about students switching out in class, but perhaps if we find ways to build in personal device time (5min social media breaks?) as a reward for focus time, the we may get better student engagement through the course of the class. Explicit permission to check email and social media - transparency.

Nice article on reaching the less advantages and using technology to meet their needs. Teachers can engage students before they enter the classroom.

Globe and Mail visual graph: Is technology a boon or burden in the classroom? As the world becomes increasingly digital, school boards are trying to negotiate technology's role in the classroom. Some have embraced digital tools, enhancing their classrooms with Smartboards, cell phones and social media. Others have favoured tradition, claiming technology is a distraction and a nuisance. Where do Globe readers stand? Each dot on this graph represents one person's response colour-coded by age group.

"The ubermix is an all-free, specially built, Linux-based operating system designed from the ground up with the needs of education in mind. Built by educators with an eye towards student and teacher empowerment, ubermix takes all the complexity out of student devices by making them as reliable and easy-to-use as a cell phone, without sacrificing the power and capabilities of a full operating system. With a turn-key, 5 minute installation, 20 second quick recovery mechanism, and more than 60 free applications pre-installed, ubermix turns whatever hardware you have into a powerful device for learning."

What should be common sense is now being officially prescribed by the American Academy of Pediatrics: Limit screen time to two hours a day, and keep cell phones and Internet connections out of bedrooms.

I especially am interested in the sending group texts to parents. Our school doesn't have an auto-dialer yet for emergencies or group events, and this would be one way to get the information out quickly. For teachers, what a great way to notify parents of urgent matters or upcoming events or needs.

Pair that with Google Voice, where you can copy/paste text messages.

Districts are creating free wifi networks for student cellphone/smartphone access to add to their education program

Go Rice! How will this impact schools? More powerful netbooks? More functions on cell phones?

SimpleAssessment Free assessment to test the technology proficiency of students. SimpleTechLearning Tools to help teachers develop skills to lead students in 21st century classrooms. SimpleSchoolSafety Free school safety resources to protect against H1N1, bloodborne pathogens, and MRSA. SimpleTechIntegration Teacher-to-teacher community for sharing classroom resources and free tech tools. Protecting Students Curriculum to educate and keep students, staff, and teachers safe on the Internet and with cell phones.

Information on the use of mobiles according to PEW studies.

A very cool free/cheap tool for in-class polling using cell phones or twitter!

Great read for anyone looking to update restrictive policies. Take note of items 3 & 4 and consider how the affective dimension influences dstudent learning!

Useful content for making careers in data of interest to a wide variety of students. Data isn't about math, it is about ethics, social justice, political science, economics, and well-being.

"Although many schools ban smartphones, the reality is that many pupils have them hidden away, or are an integral part of their lives once they leave the premises. The 'Selfy' phenomenon is clearly here to stay, but this video (created by London-based design and animation studio weareseventeen) illustrates how we can easily be distracted with our devices, missing out on the world around us - which could be useful for a discussion / assembly activity within schools when talking about online use or safety:"

This is a review for an inexpensive 3D virtual reality kit from Google for the classroom using cell phones. New resources are being developed for educational uses every month.