Sunday, October 30, 2011

Digital Media and Learning

As I read the MacArthur Foundation Report on Digital Media and Learning, I kept thinking about the Common Sense Media video where the teenager didn't mention he was under 18 on blogs where adults would talk about a specialty he was interested in. For this teenager, he felt a sense of pride in being able to "fool" everyone into thinking he was a mature young man becauase of his educated comments on the blog. I see how a blog like this would boost this young man's self esteem and interest, it deals with content [i believe it was a music blog] that is most likely not easily accessible in his immediate area and his expertise is on show for everyone to see, except they don't know his age. It is important for parents and schools to be involved and to accept that our children are deeply immersed in technology and that although it may seem foreign to us, it is necessary to shed that fear of the unknown and walk side by side with our children. They are gaining knowledge, like this young man, he is learning about music from a place other than a school and the information is valid. It's not like he's getting this information and it is incorrect or someone is feeding him lies. There are many "experts" out there that can be helpful to children's research and it would be better if we helped them find these resources.

I personally would like for young people to learn to be responsible about social media. As a facebook member, an older one, I see how my younger facebook friends and family members express themselves and share infomration that is at times too personal. It is clear to me that they are not truly aware of the tracks they are leaving behind. I would like to help my students learn to be responsible citizens in this digital world.

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