week 4 - post 1: PBS video feedback

After watching DIGITAL MEDIA - NEW LEARNERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY, produced by PBS and originally aired on 02/13/2011, I found it interesting that the comparison of 20th century learning (being told what to know, memorization) to 21st century learning (navigation, trust, creativity) had very little to do with the tools of technology and everything to do with how we think and who controls our methods of learning. If literacy is based on technology available, as proposed by one of the speakers, then being able to read and write, while still necessary, will no longer be the ultimate cornerstone to determine ability but we will instead by judged based on the ability to navigate and evaluate constantly changing information. 

The section on the Quest to Learn educational program made several insightful connections between gaming which is seen as play and real-life educational experiences that move students forward:

• game design requires attention to user needs which is customer service practical experience
• gaming requires trial and error rather than being given the answer and often there are multiple ways to reach the end
• the game projects start with structured guiding questions very similar to project creation in work environments
• translation skills as stories are used to inspire games
• breaking down complex problems into smaller steps to solve
• a game is simply a set of problems that you must solve to win
• the product of a research project could be a collectible deck of cards like Pokemon
• learning and assessment are one and the same because you can't get to the next level unless you have learned the previous level so independent assessment is unnecessary

At 15:00, there is a very good discussion of the concerns about students spending too much time online or on games to the point of becoming addicted. The speaker compares the impression of someone who stays up late reading, practicing for drama club, or working out to be better at sports is considered "dedicated' because society values those activities while someone who spends a lot of time gaming or on the Internet is considered "addicted" because those activities are not seen as being of value. He also mentioned that we often fail to see depression as a cause and try to label the symptoms as an addiction. I think this is a very important discussion to have as we incorporate more integration of technology into our students' school lives.

I thought it was great that the Digital Youth Network started as an afterschool program and then became an in-school offering which led to a dedicated space in the local library. They also made some great points about giving access to tools to help youth find productive outlets for their energy and time. Being able to create projects and portfolios that will translate into assessments and products for use in adult life is a benefit to technology. No one wants to see your test papers but authentic products created in school can be helpful. There was a very insightful commentary on the claim that "digital media is killing reading and writing" which turned that focus to the fact that the ecology of literacy is changing with different practices and different products that mask the extent of the reading and writing that is really going on. We see the digital output but reading and writing underlie every step to get to that digital output.

With the Smithsonian Institute scavenger hunt, it was interesting that they mentioned that students pay more attention to the details of the artifacts because they are creating the quest. It is also important to note that by using mobile resources, museum assets can be available to more people and more groups who might not be able to visit the museum in person thus expanding the audience of the institution.

Mobile learning allows students to move from consumption of information to production of information and on to participation in the information while taking advantage of the collective learning by being at once both student and teacher to peers in the collective. Using chats and online communication in the classroom allows the student who doesn't feel comfortable taking part in class discussions to add their voice to the online discussion. It also moves the learning process from a very linear (student - teacher - student) process where no one else is involved to a much more web-like structure where what the student produces is seen, commented on, and absorbed by others so that everyone gains in the process.