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13 Characteristics of the Digital Student

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13 Characteristics of the Digital Student
3 Characteristics of the Digital Student
In Uncategorized on May 25, 2011 at 6:09 pm

Digital technology is changing almost every communications venue that exists. It is also having an impact on modifying the expectations that students and their parents have on educational facilities. Recent research shows that:

1. Most schools have failed to effectively utilize digital technology. Instead, it has been “tacked on” to the current education model. (Moe, 2009)

2. Because the current model in use in American education was designed to turn out mass-trained students for agricultural and industrial jobs, digital generation students find school boring and believe the skills being taught are unable to meet the world’s fast changing needs. (Jukes, 2010)

3. Teachers are finding there is an ‘understanding gap’ in the way students experience the world compared to the way they experienced the world growing up. This manifests itself in students ‘turning off and tuning out’ and the belief that adults who control education have outdated knowledge and a different experience of what it is like to grow up in the 21st century.

4. Today’s students spend large quantities of time in the digital world — a world that is adapting, growing, innovating, and changing at the speed of light. The inundation of our children in digital media for 7 to 10.5 hours per day continues as three studies five years apart have proven. (Rideout, 2010)

5. Some see increasing digital media use as a severe problem—even an addiction—that is changing the chemical balance and flow within the brain. (Barna, 2010) Some studies suggest that the way today’s children acquire knowledge and information is also altering brain structure. (Jukes, 2010)

6. Children born after 1992 were “born digital,” and have had access to instantaneous communication and the integration of digital media into their daily lives. (Pape, 2005) This ‘digital generation’ is learning and thinking in new ways fostered by a



References: Barna, G. (2010). Media Exposure, Addiction, downloaded from http://www.georgebarna.com/2010/01/media-exposure-addiction/ on February 8, 2010. Berg, J. (2008) Essential Virtues: Marks of the Christ-centered Life, BJU Press, Greenville, SC, 33+ Christensen, C., Horn, M., Johnson, C Collins, A., Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking Education In The Age Of Technology, Teachers College Press, New York, NY 4+ Greenway, R.,Vanourek, G INACOL (2009) K-12 Online Learning: A Smart Investment Now More Than Ever. Downloaded from www.inacol.org, March 11, 2010 Jukes, I., McCain, T., Crockett, L Moe. T., Chubb, J. (2009). Liberating Learning: Technology, Politics, and the Future of American Education, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, 65, 149. Ohler, J. (2010) Digital community, digital citizen, Corwin, A SAGE Company, Thousand Oaks, CA. 9+ Palfrey, J., Gasser, U Pape, L., (2005) High School on the Web, downloaded from http://www.govhs.org/Pages/WhyVHS-Publications on April 17, 2010 Rideout, V., Foehr, U., Roberts, D Tapscott, Don. (2009) Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY

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