[1] What does the world (of digital natives) that I refer to in the session description really look like? That is, what are its features? What are its spaces and places? What are its opportunities and challenges?
our 21 st century learners
Webkinz Article Toy = Social Network Wharton legal studies professor whose son and daughter have Webkinz pets, says Webkinz has "powerful" appeal to kids because "it has both a personal dynamic -- you have to take care of your pet -- and a communal dynamic, where you interact with others."Webkinz is "taking that play experience that kids are already having and leveraging the potential of the Internet to facilitate that more extensively," he adds. "The online service of Webkinz is an opportunity to play with other kids any time you want -- and with a broader universe of friends."
Game = Social Learning Experience *
Gaming embeds all of the attributes of Howard Gardner's (2007) five minds for the future: the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind, the creative mind, the respectful mind, and the ethical mind. Games can do something else, as well. Game scenarios can branch, so content is no longer confined to linear structures, as so many learning experiences are in our traditional formal educational settings. If, as evidence shows, experiential learning engages the mind and teaches learners to do and to be more effectively than the linear application of content so frequently used today, games with an educational orientation can become powerful tools in and out of the formal classroom. (p6-7)
Book = Instantly Available And the death of Newspapers ”
Concerns Privacy Sustained Focus Discriminating Consumer Ethical Producer Empathetic Participant
[2] How do you think parents can best help/support/guide/collaborate with their children in this brave new world? And what is a parent's role in this new world?
enter the 21 st century
Appropriate progression
Join together Let them lead
safe environment
address internet safety the bulletin board
easy media uploads
develop class guidelines develop home guidelines
Partnership with school
[3] What direction do you believe schools could and should be moving in — in the context of these emerging technologies?
engage students
student centered
build leadership skills
make personal connections
create groups of learners
groups connect classrooms
differentiate
focus conversations
threaded forum discussions
quality questioning
deeper thinking
track discussions
share highlights
Make Learning transparent
personal reflection space MetaCognition
individual space within community
Image Sources (Creative Commons License) in slide order: 1. green dew: 2. Comic: 3. Map: 4. Baby with iPhone: 5 & 6 & 36. overlook: 5 & 15 & 36. gears: 5 & 28 & 36. blocks: 7. student with headphones: 8. traffic cone: 9. cupcakes: birds: night fence: lifeguards: parachute: girl with computer: : ski lift: Image from: bowling shoes: bridge: spotlight: thread: ponder: ocean: 23. footprints: highlighters: reflection: peacock: arrow: Image from: blocks: baby running: Image from: lock and fence: yellow door: family sunset: sunset jump: ducks: