Activity 8: 21st Century Media (Technology)

Education

21st century digital learnerSome important points to consider:1.) how should the 21st century digital learner look like2.) Aim for3.) Involve4.) what specific media would function well to advance those goals

“If it were possible to define generally the mission of education, it could be said that its fundamental purposeis to ensure that all students benefit from learning in ways that allow them to participate fully in public,community, [Creative] and economic life.”— New London Group (2000, p. 9)

(Jenkins, 2010, p. 5)

When I read this quote the first thing that came to my mind is the following.......1.) Our society has changed a lot within the last few years. What have schools done to adopt? How do schools teach and most importantly how do they assess and evaluate the student’s skills and effort?2.) For which jobs are we preparing our students today? Most jobs today require technical knowledge. And those that are looking for a job today turn to online search engines. If someone does not know how to use a computer or properly evaluate and find information online, how will they find a job and succeed in today’s economy?

Today’s students:

Today’s students are practising and acquiring these skills at home already by browsing the internet, creating their first email account, using msn, skyping with their relatives or friends, creating a facebook account, gaming or simply typing up their essay in a Word document etc. Unfortunately, not all schools are promoting this during the school time. Students in school still use the paper and pencil and are asked to memorize, reiterate, and write tests that might not always capture their ability and reflect their knowledge and skills (especially those skills students acquire when they are using different media, technology)What is important.....I believe it is important to motivate students in school. This can be done by incorporating technology and mediums they are already well acquainted with. For example ipad, mobile devices, notepads, games. etc. Why not as a class:1.) create a website2.) create an app3.) put together a creative blog4.) find ways to chat with other students around the world by exchanging emails and entering educational forums

This means that the teacher becomes a colearner and let’s students share what they do in their free time, discuss which games they play, how they communicate, which devices they use. This is a great way to collaborate, exchange and engage students. As Levy (2000) calls “collective intelligence.” Like-minded individuals gather online to embrace common enterprises, which often involve access and processing information. In such a world, Levy argues, everyone knows something, nobody knows everything, and what any one person knows can be tapped by the group as a whole (Jenkins, 2010, p. 39).

The new skills include: Core Media Literacy Skills (My comments in red)

Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving (i.e. through games, virtual worlds)Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery (i.e. role play in virtual worlds)Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes (field trip in the virtual world)Appropriation — the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content (i.e. Creating a video)Multitasking — the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details. (done by students everyday as they text, twitt, answer emails, type up essay, play a game, post a picture on facebook, msn, skype)Distributed Cognition — the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities (done by student everyday by analysing, filtering, organizing the information they are confronted with via phone, websites etc.)Collective Intelligence — the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal (group work in school, but also group effort when playing games online or browsing the internet together)Judgment — the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources (internet search is one example)Transmedia Navigation — the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities (virtual stories, games)Networking — the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information (facebook is one example) Negotiation — the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms. (Jenkins, 2010, p. 4)

How I see the 21t century digital learner.....

As an explorer, detective, activelearner, collaborator, facilitator,team builder, mentor. I believe that we best learn when we explain it to others. In the future I envision that our students will bemore involved in creating their own mini digital projects. I see students taking on a more active role and being their own project coordinators . These mini projects can range from their own videos, apps, websites, blogs, games, virtual world simulations etc. As teachers we need to provide the students with a space where they can explore, exchange and learn but also share what they do in their spare time (after school) and how that can be beneficial for their learning in school. Internet Search and Research Skills are very important and I believe should be addressed in classrooms. As most of our daily activities have shifted to online, the internet, we need to educate our students how they can best search for information but also filter, evaluate, prioritize, assess this information and not just turn into passive consumers of information .

Many of the skills schools have been teaching all along, although the emergence of digital media creates new pressure on schools to prepare students for their future roles as citizens and workers. Others are skills that emerge from the affordances of these new communications technologies and the social communities and cultural practices that have grown uparound them (Jenkins, 2010, p. 55)

Our role as teachers is to ensure that these children can use those new skills they have gained (navigating, searching the net, playing games, chatting, texting) in school in a meaningful way. As teachers we also need to be aware of potential problems and challenges as Jenkins lists them:

The Participation Gap — the unequal access to the opportunities, experiences, skills, andknowledge that will prepare youth for full participation in the world of tomorrow.The Transparency Problem — The challenges young people face in learning to see clearly the ways that media shape perceptions of the world.The Ethics Challenge — The breakdown of traditional forms of professional training andsocialization that might prepare young people for their increasingly public roles as mediamakers and community participants (Jenkins, 2010, p. 3).

Teachers and Schools are there to educate young people about the problems, challenges and dangers of the digital world. But also embrace the opportunities that are out there to make students confident learners and to understand how the digital era can be used to its optimum.

New media literacies include the traditional literacy that evolved with print culture as well asthe newer forms of literacy within mass and digital media. Much writing about twenty-firstcentury literacies seems to assume that communicating through visual, digital, or audiovisual media will displace reading and writing. We fundamentally disagree. Before students can engage with the new participatoryculture, they must be able to read and write. (Jenkins, 2010, p. 19).

I agree with Jenkins statement that reading and writing will never be displaced. As teachers it is our responsibility to teach students how to interpret, analyse, assess, understand information and use it properly. Yes, students have a lot of helping tools out there and a lot of unique and great digital media, but they have to learn how to use these tools properly and to be critical of them.

Medium : Video

What does it teach?Why is it educationally valuable?

Producing a video as a classroom task is valuable as it teaches students to work in groups, collaborate, assess and filter information that is relevant for the topic they have been assigned to create a video about. It is a creative task that makes students assume the role of a film director and gives them space to explore their creativity and capability. It allows students to take authorship and to take responsibility . Learning how to navigate through the various video editing programs is also a valuable and educational way to let students experience going from different video shots to a final product. This is a rich and engaging way to present their ideas to the classmates. The topics they can choose from are endless. If the teachers chooses to, the students can also upload their final product onto youtube and this way present their work to an even bigger audience then just their classmates.

Skills: Organization, Coordination, Assessing valuable content for video topic, group work, team effort, editing skills improved,

How does Xbox Kinect become a useful tool in the classroom? What benefits does it have for education?

The motion sensing input device Xbox Kinect enables users to interact with the Xbox 360 without actually touching a game controller. It lets the user control what is happening on the screen by only using gestures and spoken commands. This device clearly extends human capability as it allows the user to control and explore virtual worlds by only the use of movement and voice. It extends senses other than visual and auditory as it extends the following senses: Sense of precision, Logic, navigation skills, balance, strength, calculation, sensitivity to touch, memory, tact, rhythm, finesse, reflex, coordination, body control

One can play games in groups or alone. It encourages accuracy and coordination skills. Kinect allows for the user to extend its senses as it immerses one in virtual worlds where a sense of precision and accurate movement, gestures and use of voice becomes essential. The motion sensing technology is certainly beneficial for educational purposes as it can help improve numerous skills. Kinect encourages gesture-based learning and can certainly motivate children to learn about new subjects. Children can collaborate using avatars. They use their whole body to express themselves, they are encouraged to read as they have to follow instructions on the screen. It engages children in a fun way and makes them learn about new things. It also helps them learn to focus and pay attention as they are navigating through virtual worlds. It makes them more aware of their body as they learn self-control, pay attention to instructions and details of the game. The users immerse in a world where attention to detail, precision, logic and reflex are crucial.

http://www.webkinz.com/de_de/

Teaching German Online

Letting children explore, play and learn