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Something I’ve long suspected is confirmed by real research by the Nielsen/Norman Group. Even though young people are comfortable with technology, they are not experts. I noticed this first with my personal sample of nieces and nephews, ages 24-7, who live all over the country. They know what they know, and like how technology makes their lives easier and more convenient, but they rarely look under the hood of technology or explore it deeply.
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A recent Neilsen survey of technology topping holiday lists for children reveals interesting differences by age. While the iPad tops the list for younger students (31% of students aged 6-12 want the Apple tablet), just 18% of youth 13 put it on their list. While 25% of younger students want the Nintendo DS, gaming devices (portable and tethered) fell below 15% for older teens.
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Successful long tail companies make engagement easy. They woo users with an easy interface that remembers who they are, what they like, and connects them with others. Why has this been so hard to do with learning in schools?
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Back in 2002, Shelly Luke Wille, William Myrhang and I designed a model classroom for the National School Boards Association (NSBA) Technology + Learning Conference. After the first class, word spread about our innovative room, seamless technology, and the learning that was happening. We were at capacity for every class. Educational decision makers didn’t just see how a classroom could be designed for collaboration, they actually experienced it, working in pairs, following the leadership of expert educator Shelly Luke Wille. If we want to change the classroom, educators and policy makers have to experience a different classroom for their own learning. We have to change perception about what a classroom is if we are ever going to catch up to the needs of the 21st century learner. To see how we did it, Read the article: How to Build a Classroom in 24 Hours or Less
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The challenges of educating a 21st century society are not local. Educational leaders around the world are looking at how technology can make the classroom more engaging and better prepare students for the unknowns of the future workplace and civil society. The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) regularly leads delegations to visit different countries. The latest trip to Scotland and the Netherlands concludes with a recommendation to shift the language in the US about technology in education. By using the term ICT (information and communications technology) we would shift the emphasis from boxes and software to an integral part of the vision for education and part of the solution to issues such as graduation rates and increasing STEM studies.
To read the full report: Report from Scotland and the Netherlands: Real Investment/Real Innovation
