If you want a great education community to dive into right away on Twitter, consider lurking or participating in one of the many scheduled Twitter Chats that go on almost every day of the week. Here's a 2-part video tutorial to help you get started. It's also a great way to find relevant educators on Twitter to follow.
"We already have a guitar. I can learn on my own and with my friends." Me: "It seems like you should get lessons for the basics." Her: "Mom, that's what the Internet is for." It turns out she's already been practicing with the help of YouTube tutorials.
because of the abundance of knowledge and social connections
balancing the competitive pressures of college-readiness, the need for unstructured learning and socializing, and the role of the Internet in all of that
Trends indicate that families with the means to do so are investing more and more in enrichment activities to give their kids a leg up
padding resumes for college
an arms race in achievement
the Internet has been a lifeline for self-directed learning and connection to peers.
parents more often than not have a negative view of the role of the Internet in learning, but young people almost always have a positive one
Young people are desperate for learning that is relevant and part of the fabric of their social lives, where they are making choices about how, when, and what to learn, without it all being mapped for them in advance
Learning on the Internet is about posting a burning question on a forum like Quora or Stack Exchange, searching for a how to video on YouTube or Vimeo, or browsing a site like Instructables, Skillshare, and Mentormob for a new project to pick up.
but I'm also delighted that she finds the time to cultivate interests in a self-directed way that is about contributing to her community of peers
This is a great piece that captures much of the essence of how many (teens are the focus, but not exclusive to the points made) are seeing learning today... really important to understand.
"When you're on a site like Facebook, you get lots of posts about what people are doing. That sets up social comparison — you maybe feel your life is not as full and rich as those people you see on Facebook," he says.
"It suggests that when you are engaging in social interactions a lot, you're more aware of what others are doing and, consequently, you might be more sensitized about what's happening on Facebook and comparing that to your own life,"
The prescription for Facebook despair is less Facebook. Researchers found that face-to-face or phone interaction — those outmoded, analog ways of communication — had the opposite effect. Direct interactions with other human beings led people to feel better.