Found this via the Futurelab Flux blog. Demos (a UK think-tank) produced an 80 page (large print!) report on “Education for a Digital Generation“. Initially I thought this was going to be a hyper-bolic celebration of digital-youth, but it keeps a balanced perspective. Material criticising the myths found in mass-media hysteria on the ill-effects of digital media is balanced with a critique of the utopian counter view-point (page 41) :
There is also a set of positive myths demonstrating ‘blind faith’ in the power of technology. The more extreme versions caricature a whole generation of young people as digital natives and cyberkids, all equally confident users of technology. Meanwhile, staunch defenders of gaming and web 2.0 risk presenting all digital practices as equally valuable, hailing each wave of technology as full of revolutionary potential.
The authors also conducted many interviews with children, revealing a range of attitudes towards and capabilities for using technologies. Clear distinction is made between those who really explore and pioneer new technologies and those who simply use IM’s and similar to keep in touch with existing friends. The report finishes with recommendations for using technology effectively within educational settings. Quotes from these are scattered through the report, and usefully illustrate many of the points.
I have to admit skimming large portions of it… if people can stop producing new and interesting 80 page reports I might find the time to clear my backlog of the things!
