Snapshot: Personal Electronic Devices Owned by Students
Eduventures research on technology use by 18-24 year old college students. Almost all students own a cell phone, 79% own a laptop, and 73% own a media player. Students spend up to 5 hours a day online, about half of that for school. Email was the most popular communication tool.
Instructional Technology Resources: Digital Denizens
Instead of Prensky's simple dichotomy of digital native vs. digital immigrant, this author provides additional categories depending on technology use and attitudes rather than age. Includes a quiz for determining where you fit (I'm a digital addict).
elearnspace: Do Generational Differences Matter in Instructional Design
George Siemens raises an interesting question--are the differences really in generations or in technology-based experiences? What should our focus as instructional designers be--differentiating learning based on generations, or helping learners prepare for solving problems when the solution isn't known in advance?
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.
Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom | Edutopia
Marc Prensky on uses of technology in the classroom, moving from simply dabbling to doing "new things in new ways."
<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>