I think, in this instance, the consideration of varied design approaches has been tied to the wrong variable (generational differences). The greater area of change and impact is found in the habits, activities, and needs of learners (not based on generations, but on how technology creates new opportunities for learning networks far beyond the narrow domain of classroom walls).

I'd like to see an instructional design process that attends to the complexity of emergent or unknown processes.

As Chris says often, “Technology is not additive; technology is transformative.”

Finally, the one real head twister that I got yesterday was during Chris’s own session when he was talking about how his thinking is moving away from the “having kids publish globally to the world” product piece of all of this a “let’s focus on the process of community building and publishing within the walls” approach.

The culture of sharing and participation that is created within the local community is more important almost that making those connections outside.

Heretofore, instructional designers have thought they were in the business of designing instructional systems to meet prespecified learning objectives. But first the constructivist movement--and now communication technologies themselves--seem to be thre atening this conception as the sole way to support learning. People are learning without help from designed instruction! In many settings, in fact, "natural" learning is more prevalent than "designed" learning <a href="#resnick">(Resnick, 1987)</a>. We believe that the situation requires a reexaminination of our core roles. Are we in the business of designing instruction or are we in the business of supporting valuable learning, wherever it may happen? The answer to this question will result in either a narrow or broad interpretation of our role and its relationship to non-instructional forms of learning.

Our own belief is that dynamic learning communities are proper objects of study. We should seek to understand how such communities function, how they grow, how they can be nurtured, and how they can be replicated across diverse settings. But nurturing is different than designing. We must respect the integrity of the community. In time, we may come to think of ourselves more as <em>learning technologists</em> than as <em>instructional technologists</em>, and <em>learning support specialists</em> more than <em>instructional designers</em>.

Pedagogy should not even be a consideration during the planning stages of technology use. Harsh statement? Perhaps, but it's a reality. Few Utopian situations exist where our decisions on how to teach can be based exclusively on pedagogy. Resources, expertise, technology, needs (of learners, educators, society), and funds impact what we choose to do. In a world: context. The mix of multiple, mutually influencing factors determine what we types of technology we select.

<p>According to the survey, the majority of middle and high school students (51 percent of students in grades 6 through 12) indicated that "games make it easier to understand difficult concepts. Forty-six percent said they'd learn more about a subject if information were presented in a game format; 44 percent said gaming "would make it more interesting to practice problems"; and about a third said that "the use of games in schools will help them learn how to work in teams and see the direct results of their problem solving activities."</p> <div id="square"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=3,0,0,0" id="Ad" height="280" width="336"> <param name="movie" value="http://ad101com-images.adbureau.net/ad101com/THE/Collaboration 2.0/collaboration_336x280v4.swf?clickTAG=http://ad101com.adbureau.net/accipiter/adclick/CID=00003efce00ea3bb00000000/acc_random=36080713/site=THE/area=std/aamsz=336x280/pos=m03/pageid=93737584"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <param name="quality" value="autohigh"> <param name="bgcolor" value="none"> <embed src="http://ad101com-images.adbureau.net/ad101com/THE/Collaboration%202.0/collaboration_336x280v4.swf?clickTAG=http://ad101com.adbureau.net/accipiter/adclick/CID=00003efce00ea3bb00000000/acc_random=36080713/site=THE/area=std/aamsz=336x280/pos=m03/pageid=93737584" wmode="transparent" quality="autohigh" swliveconnect="FALSE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="280" width="336"> </object> <noembed>&lt;A HREF="http://ad101com.adbureau.net/accipiter/adclick/CID=00003efce00ea3bb00000000/acc_random=36080713/site=THE/area=std/aamsz=336x280/pos=m03/pageid=93737584"&gt;&lt;IMG SRC="http://ad101com-images.adbureau.net/ad101com/THE/Collaboration 2.0/336x280_Collaboration.jpg" ALT="Collaboration 2.0" WIDTH="336" HEIGHT="280" BORDER="0"&gt;&lt;/A&gt;</noembed> <noscript><A HREF="http://ad101com.adbureau.net/accipiter/adclick/CID=00003efce00ea3bb00000000/acc_random=36080713/site=THE/area=std/aamsz=336x280/pos=m03/pageid=93737584"><IMG SRC="http://ad101com-images.adbureau.net/ad101com/THE/Collaboration 2.0/336x280_Collaboration.jpg" ALT="Collaboration 2.0" WIDTH="336" HEIGHT="280" BORDER="0"></A></noscript> </div> <p>Teachers were apparently even more enthusiastic about gaming, as 65 percent indicated that they thought educational gaming would be an effective tool for students with different learning styles and would help engage students in coursework. More than half said they'd like to learn more about educational gaming, and some 46 percent said they would "like to receive specific professional development on how to effectively integrate gaming technologies into curriculum," according to the survey.</p>

<p>According to the survey, the majority of middle and high school students (51 percent of students in grades 6 through 12) indicated that "games make it easier to understand difficult concepts. Forty-six percent said they'd learn more about a subject if information were presented in a game format; 44 percent said gaming "would make it more interesting to practice problems"; and about a third said that "the use of games in schools will help them learn how to work in teams and see the direct results of their problem solving activities."</p> <div id="square"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=3,0,0,0" id="Ad" height="280" width="336"> <param name="movie" value="http://ad101com-images.adbureau.net/ad101com/THE/Collaboration 2.0/collaboration_336x280v4.swf?clickTAG=http://ad101com.adbureau.net/accipiter/adclick/CID=00003efce00ea3bb00000000/acc_random=79093549/site=THE/area=std/aamsz=336x280/pos=m03/pageid=86059397"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <param name="quality" value="autohigh"> <param name="bgcolor" value="none"> <embed src="http://ad101com-images.adbureau.net/ad101com/THE/Collaboration%202.0/collaboration_336x280v4.swf?clickTAG=http://ad101com.adbureau.net/accipiter/adclick/CID=00003efce00ea3bb00000000/acc_random=79093549/site=THE/area=std/aamsz=336x280/pos=m03/pageid=86059397" wmode="transparent" quality="autohigh" swliveconnect="FALSE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="280" width="336"> </object> <noembed>&lt;A HREF="http://ad101com.adbureau.net/accipiter/adclick/CID=00003efce00ea3bb00000000/acc_random=79093549/site=THE/area=std/aamsz=336x280/pos=m03/pageid=86059397"&gt;&lt;IMG SRC="http://ad101com-images.adbureau.net/ad101com/THE/Collaboration 2.0/336x280_Collaboration.jpg" ALT="Collaboration 2.0" WIDTH="336" HEIGHT="280" BORDER="0"&gt;&lt;/A&gt;</noembed> <noscript><A HREF="http://ad101com.adbureau.net/accipiter/adclick/CID=00003efce00ea3bb00000000/acc_random=79093549/site=THE/area=std/aamsz=336x280/pos=m03/pageid=86059397"><IMG SRC="http://ad101com-images.adbureau.net/ad101com/THE/Collaboration 2.0/336x280_Collaboration.jpg" ALT="Collaboration 2.0" WIDTH="336" HEIGHT="280" BORDER="0"></A></noscript> </div> <p>Teachers were apparently even more enthusiastic about gaming, as 65 percent indicated that they thought educational gaming would be an effective tool for students with different learning styles and would help engage students in coursework. More than half said they'd like to learn more about educational gaming, and some 46 percent said they would "like to receive specific professional development on how to effectively integrate gaming technologies into curriculum," according to the survey.</p>

the standards require teacher-candidates to exhibit knowledge, skills, and dispositions that equip them to teach technology applications. Candidates also have to show they can use technology to support student learning of content.

<p>Joel Colbert, who heads the committee on innovation and technology, says the handbook seeks to make the point that stand-alone technology classes are now obsolete. </p> <p>“We are saying that’s not the way to integrate technology into teacher training, because each subject area uses technology differently,” Colbert says.</p>

Well-integrated technology opens social networks for students and allows children to develop key social skills, according to two recent studies conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In 2003, there was a study that showed that all this writing online was actually making kids <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20030520/1943254_F.shtml">more comfortable</a> with writing in general. In 2004, a study showed (like this one) that with a little instruction kids easily <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20041223/1427218.shtml">understood the difference</a> between texting and writing. In 2005, a study actually found that kids were <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20051031/1836235.shtml">better writers</a> than in the past "using far more complex sentence structures, a wider vocabulary and a more accurate use of capital letters, punctuation and spelling" even if they sometimes let a txtism into their writing. And, in 2006, a study showed that students showed <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20060731/1938242.shtml">no ill effects</a> from widespread text and IM messaging.

<p>First, it helps to look at the typical process of technology adoption (keeping in mind, of course, that schools are not typical of anything.) It's typically a four-step process:</p> <ol> <li> Dabbling.</li> <li> Doing old things in old ways.</li> <li> Doing old things in new ways.</li> <li> Doing new things in new ways.</li></ol>

"What the animation does is it assists the children in visualizing the action," explains Mitchell, who teaches <a class="external-link" href="http://www.nuuanu.k12.hi.us/G-1/public_html/index.html" target="_blank">language arts enrichment classes</a>. "The animation is a way of them developing the picture so they relate that to the writing, to what they hear, what they see, what they feel." Technology, she adds, "gives you one more way of teaching something."

"Looking for real-world relevance has to do with students being interested in what they do, knowing that it's useful outside of school," says Kaninau. "The experiences are not contrived or in isolation, but they're a part of a larger learning activity. Without those connections, it won't be meaningful, and it'll be forgotten tomorrow."

"They love it," says sixth-grade teacher Geraldine Kajitani. "If you start with ... hands-on activities and things that are fun, their attention is focused." And once that happens, she says, it's a snap to get them to study some of the drier material because they'll relate to it and remember it.

<td width="18"><strong>1.</strong></td> <td width="96%"><strong>Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity</strong></td>

<td width="18"><strong>2.</strong></td> <td><strong>Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments</strong></td>

<td width="18"><strong>3.</strong></td> <td><strong>Model Digital-Age Work and Learning</strong></td>

<td width="18"><strong>4.</strong></td> <td><strong>Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility</strong></td>

<td width="18"><strong>5.</strong></td> <td><strong>Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership</strong></td>

This is why - I think unconsciously - so many academics and educators resist contemporary ICT so fiercely. Accepting these new technologies means that the advantages they were taught to prize in themselves - their study habits, their ability to focus, their willingness to depend on authoritative sources and to observe classroom rules - might prove to be their undoing. And the disadvantages they despised in others, ADHD for example, processing information via pictures instead of the abstraction of text as another, the disadvantages that have been labelled as pathological "disabilities," might prove to be advantageous in this new world.

That ADHD kid might be far better in front of multiple monitors with a dozen windows open and 15 tabs going in Firefox than the professor and former high school valedictorian who is really uncomfortable if a TV is on while she is reading. That Asperger's kid who processes images efficiently might be far better at analysing changing maps than the text-dependent historian.

I feel the same watching most classrooms, seeing most reading assignments, observing how assessments are conducted in educational institutions. Yes, that carriage is wonderful, but the cars will rush past it. Yes, that calligraphy is beautiful but you just spent six months creating a single book. Certainly, that bronze sword is beautiful but the steel weapon will cut it in half. Yes, you did wonderfully on the multiple-choice exam but I need people who can find information and develop new ideas, not repeat what I already know. Yes, you read that whole book, but I need to know the range of observations from these twelve sources around the globe.

As we've <a href="http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2008/06/web_making_us_worrie.html">noted</a> <a href="http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2007/09/too_much_too_young.html">several</a> <a href="http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2008/07/facebook_ate_my_psyc.html">times</a>, leading scientists or commentators can make international headlines by simply suggesting that new technology is harming the mind, brain and relationships of the modern citizen, despite a general lack of evidence or flat out evidence to the contrary.

Annoyingly, just as complaints about literacy multiply, along comes a technology that has promoted a renaissance in reading and writing, yet it is treated with contempt by the ‘pen and paper’ brigade. Children don’t keep diaries any more – oh yeah! Haven’t you see MySpace, facebook and blogs. They’re obsessed by diary keeping.