What students are really motivated by are opportunities to be social — to interact around challenging concepts in powerful conversations with their peers
the near ubiquity of mobile computing is producing a fundamentally new kind of learner, one that is self-directed, better equipped to capture information, more reliant on feedback from peers, more inclined to collaborate, and more oriented toward being their own "nodes of production."
"We've all got audiences now on Twitter and Facebook," Rainie said. "Everybody can be a publisher and broadcaster; students in particular are taking advantage of tha
Many of the arguments being made today as to how the Internet is ruining our society were first put forth with the introduction of public speaking, the printed word, telecommunications and so on.
should respond to emails at 6 a.m. on a Saturday (emergency or not), this is less about your boss's disposition and more about a common lack of education as to how to best use technology.
It's my job to best manage my technology (and not the other way around).
For generations, youths have showed they would rather sit around and play than go outside and play. It's not technologies' fault if a kid is lazy ... it comes down to parenting, values and the child's disposition.
But, there's something else we need to remember: Our values were created in a different time and in a different place.
The current jobs the majority of my friends are working at didn't exist as occupations when I was in high school. Should a child be lugging around five textbooks in a backpack that's causing them spinal disc herniation or does an iPad not only enable them to have a lighter load, but the ability - when used properly - to also create, collaborate and engage more with their peers.
I would argue that it's not an all-or-nothing proposition
ninth-grade English Literature class bent over their cell phones, furiously texting. They are engaged and on task, and she will soon have their thoughts on the possible consequences of Friar Lawrence marrying two star-crossed lovers in sixteenth-century Verona.
lessons around the capabilities of the dumbest phone
For such quick assessments, many teachers use the free Web tool www.polleverywhere.com to get instant feedback
tudents told researchers that they learned best when collaborating with peers and, when asked to name their choice of technological learning tools, overwhelmingly chose smart phones over fancy new laptops.
Sadly, a good portion of the current youth populace seems to have little regard for the privacy and personal safety of their peers, as evidenced by the articles linked above.
Thomas’ infographic shows the current size of major social networks as well as the other well-known online services we use on a daily basis relative to their peers.
Mobile: 5.3 billion mobile devices are used worldwide — that’s 77 percent of the world’s population
when we say transformational learning experiences powered by technology, we are talking about authentic, project-based learning, where students have agency, ownership and commitment to a relevant and meaningful goal that allows them to use digital tools to take on roles of creators, problem solvers, and learner-teachers working with and alongside peers, instructors, and other mentors to accomplish something bigger than themselves.
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To be clear–learning can happen in the absence of technology. Integrated poorly, technology can subdue, distract, stifle, and obscure the kind of personal interactions between learner, content, peer, and performance that lead to learning results.