Young Canadians in a Wired World

KEYNOTE:

Dr. Valerie Steeves, author of the Media Awareness Network 2012 research report, Young Canadians in a Wired World is explaining her research. The goal was to study good teachers, not just tech savvy teachers, and their relationship with students, as well as technology itself. In such a wired world, with so many devices and kids so busy on screens, do students use technology to learn? Do teachers teach technology or teach with technology?

As educators we need to navigate the curriculum for the students. The students can navigate the technology. Classroom communities give us the opportunity to mediate the purpose of weaving technology into the learning. They found that students began to feel a sense of expertise, that they had the know-how to bring to the learning. Classroom management strategies are called upon even more so than with paper and pencil work. The findings have shown a strength in more experienced teachers to deal with the project management and organization around use of devices. The single greatest barrier was found to be filters to online access. Open access grows a sense of decision making and digital mindfulness.

Teaching and learning with technology offer the benefits and best practices. 
-wealth of Learning Resources
-communication with others outside the classroom
-collaborative learning
-individualized learning styles

Anita Brooks-Kirkland has made the connection to http://www.tpck.org/ .