The Train Has Left the Station…For Your Teen’s Sake, Get On Board

Parents are too skeptical. In fact, you are 2 to 3 times more skeptical than teachers when it comes to seeing the value of the internet to your child’s education. Here’s new data that reflects the different perspectives teachers and parents have about what the internet teaches children.

The internet teaches children…

• How to communicate with others [teachers 69%; parents 33%]

• How to work with others [teachers 61%; parents 23%]

• Responsibility to my community [teachers 49%; parents 23%]

• How to be a good friend [teachers 45%; parents 13%

We all can become overwhelmed by the pace of change; certainly many of us feel like we are continually playing catch-up when it comes to using, or sometimes even seeing the value of new technology. I hear parents complain about the amount of time your kids are texting or on the computer, and at times there can be a tendency to see technology as the enemy. But there are more productive – and more realistic - ways of looking at this topic. And when we see data like that shared above, it’s easy to see parents are missing something here. The fact is, this train has left the station. It’s time for parents to get on board.

Shift Happens is a popular video presentation that shares the kinds of stats that will inform this discussion. Note:

On employment:
• The top 10 jobs that will be in demand in 2010 didn’t exist in 2004
• The US Dept of Labor estimates that today’s learner will have 10 – 14 jobs by age 38

On education:
• We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t exist yet, using technologies that haven’t yet been invented in order to solve problems we don’t even know yet are problems.

On information:
• It is estimated that a week’s worth of the New York Times contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in the 18th century.
• It is estimated that 1.5 exabytes (1.5 x 1018 ) of unique new information will be generated worldwide this year. That is estimated to be more than in the previous 5000 years.

On internet use:
• 1 out of every 8 couples married in the US last year met online
• In 2006 there were 106 million register users of My Space. If Myspace were a country it would be the 11th largest in the world.

You don't really want your teen to be behind the times in his/her use of technology, do you?

Our Participatory Culture
Last Saturday I attended the Project New Media Literacies conference at MIT. 150 very smart educators, national thought leaders and experts gathered to share learning around how best to educate kids around the new media skills required to engage them today and prepare them for tomorrow. Parents will be fascinated at how some educators are adopting new technologies and approaches into their curricula. There is a lot happening to change the face of education today. They shared a lot of valuable points at the conference, pointing out that the lines have blurred between formal and informal learning. A buzz-word I heard a lot on Saturday is “participatory culture.”

“Viable, self-directed, informal learning takes place when kids blog and game, create videos, and engage in social networking. Children are learning problem solving, collaboration, creativity and other critical life and learning skills. They are growing up immersed in this participatory culture, where each individual can be an expert, a creator of new knowledge, or a mentor to others….In our 24/7 digital world, learning doesn’t stop when kids leave school or finish their homework, nor is there a neat divide between formal and informal learning.” [This quote is from a full article named "Explorations"]

Today’s networked world requires skills such as teamwork, leadership, problem solving, collaboration, communication and creativity. This paradigm shift requires new methods, environments and assessment models in the classroom. In Threshold, a publication from Cable in the Classroom, Erin Reilly who headed the conference along with Henry Jenkins writes

“Formal schools have been slow to react to the emergence of the participatory culture, however, due to an exaggerated interpretation of the perils of social media and to a lack of understanding of the promises and affordances of a networked society. In their stead, after-school programs and informal learning communities are stepping in with programs and activities that demonstrate the learning potentials of participatory culture accelerated through social media.” [Full article is "What is Learning in a Participatory Culture?"]

Change is afoot. There is little you can do to hold it back. What you can do is help prepare and support your kids by spending time becoming more media literate yourself so that you can provide the guidance your kids need in this new world. You bet the rules are changing, so let’s make sure you are being smart with your skepticism, not allowing it to handicap your kids in the new digital landscape. The kids who will be most able to cope and thrive in the world that awaits them are those who acquire the skills that are required in the new world.

NOTE: I am asking educators to share interesting examples of how middle and high school students are using new media in innovative and exciting ways. I would like to showcase some of these examples here at www.PleaseStoptheRollercoaster.com to educate and inform parents. It is my thought that the more parents see the application of new media by students, the more they will embrace and support this kind of learning. Please contact me if you have something of interest to share.