Learning is a Team Sportor

A conversation about learning in the new millennium

There is so much information out there and so many information sources, that it is becoming (or maybe already is) impossible to learn on your own, that as educators we need to be aware of this fundamental change and be prepared to teach and learn differently.

This means more collaboration and cooperation between learners and between educators, an awareness of learning styles and a need to develop authentic curriculum and assessment...

Technology of all types will be increasingly Important

When I was in school

Books

Encyclopedia

Newspapers

Radio

Information

InformationToday

Internet

YouTube

iTunes

24/7 500 Channel TV

Books

Newspapers

What does all this extra information mean?

Two Must Read Books:

“Everything is Miscellaneous - the power of the new digital disorder” - David Weinberger

“The Wisdom of Crowds” - James Surowwiecki

Must watch videos:

Anthropological Introduction to YouTube

The Essay

A Vision of Students Today

Social Networking in Plain English

Did You Know 2.0

Ma and Pa Kettle Do Math...

New approaches to information gathering

Information evaluation, validation and interpretation - new literacy skills

Collaboration and cooperation in information gathering and analysis

“Skimming” or “Diving” the information sea

Need to understand learners and how the not only learn but how they find information and what they do with it

“while N-Gens interact with the world through multimedia, online social networking, and routine multitasking, their professors tend to approach learning linearly, one task at a time, and as an individual activity that is centered largely around printed text…” - Innovate - Will Richardson

So What?

So What?

When does collaboration become cheating?

“Students see collaboration where their teachers see cheating. They're not even talking the same language. They don't have the same understanding of the world.” - NSCC Colleague

What do we need to do as educators to engage in this new playing field?

Be Tech savvy

Understand our learners

Use project and problem-based approaches to learning

Stay in touch with industry

Allow learners to learn how THEY learn, not how WE learn

Emphasize collaboration and cooperation - know the new paradigm

What Else?...