Digital Natives?  How do you describe them? 

• In this NPR podcast  John Palfrey, author of Born Digital  suggests digital natives see the world in a profoundly different way than the rest of us.

What do  digital natives think about technology?

• How are they using it in school and at home?

Mimi Ito explains, "Why Time Spent Online is Important for Teen Development".

• What does this mean for  our teaching practices?  

In this October 29, 2007  40 minute podcast you can learn about:

• today's K–12 students expectations for technology use  (the higher ed students of tomorrow)  

• K-12 student aspirations for learning as uncovered by the national Speak Up initiative.

July 1st, 2008,

National Educational Computing Conference

Speak Up released its report based on the 2007 data.  

The report provides data about:

•on the growth of online learning in America’s schools for student learning

• on the growth of online learning in America’s schools for teacher professional development

• the challenges faced by school and district leaders in regards to technology and learning.

A sampling of key findings in the report:

• Over 41% of students believe that online classes will have the greatest positive impact on their learning, a growth of over 20% from the 2006 data findings.
• Over 20% of teachers chose online classes as a key element for increasing student achievement in the 21st century school an increase of almost 28% over the 2006 data findings.
• Over 26% of teachers chose online learning as their first choice for training.

The full report is 7 pages and full of many interesting observations about teaching and learning.

Are you are interested in the research on the ethical development of our youth? 

•  the GoodWork® Project has been studying how individuals strive to do “good work”

• Howard Gardner uses the "good work" lens on digital media in which youth are becoming leading participants

This research, Good Play, is fascinating and gives thought for guidance about how to respond to students as they navigate the digital environment.