In defence of the 21st Century
Ewen in a recent post -we are all in the connected generation - lambasted the use of the term “21st Century Learning”. It was a shotgun post on a shotgun term, and I agree with the sentiments while I might has phrased it differently.
I use the catch words 21st century learning, digital native, digital immigrant, and even occasionally neo millennial. They are terms that I believe many of us know and use to describe many of our students and perhaps more importantly many of us too! This is I think Ewen’s point.
While many of our students are “digital natives” because of the right combination of
- affluence,
- location,
- accessible and pervasive technology,
- ICT integrating education
So too are many of us.
I played on my first computer in 1978, it was a compucolour and I have not stopped playing since. I have always, since I was 15, had a computer. I have hacked it, broken it and fixed. I have programmed it, upgraded it, reverse engineered it and generally been digital. Ewen who is quite a bit younger than me will certainly fit in this category.
Its easy to get hung up on a term. Digital natives or neo millennials or 21st Century learners or digital children are just descriptions of how people are learning - these people are learning digitally, they prefer multiple media sources, are increasingly fluent (not just literate) with technologies, are multitasking etc. Jedd too has made this point
We also need to remember that while we may be and many of our students could be digital, the vast majority of the world is not and will not be in the perceivable future.
To be digital you must have access to technology - many do not have access to electricity - it must be to some degree ubiquitous - you’re access to it should be relatively unfettered (and I am not talking about filtering here), your learning environment must be supportive if not inclusive of these tools.
Sudan - outdoor school - http://understandingsudan.org/ImageRecordDisplayV3.ASP?PhID=207
