Journal 9: The Kids Are All Right (NETS-T 5)

Waters, John (2009, March). The Kids Are All Right. T.H.E. Journal, Retrieved April 15, 2009, from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/24104

In Waters article he explains the results of the MacArthur Foundations' research regarding the impact of digital media and communications technologies on how young people learn. They found that technological advances most certainly have had a significant impact on how kids learn.

The MacArthur Foundation coined three terms to describe the levels of kids' online participation in media ecologies. The first is called "hanging out." This involves lightweight social contact moving between online and offline worlds. The internet is used as a way to "get together" with friends while learning critical social skills. The second level is called "messing around." This is a level which involves "hanging out" that leads to interest driven activities. The third level was called "geeking out," which involves a level of intense interest in media or technology. Students who are highly interested in technology are usually not using if for educational means. The tricky part for teachers is to get students interested in using media and technology in an academic way.

The levels of participation explained above can help teachers understand the social groups and cultural associations that students take part in. There is an increasing need for teachers to participate in social media systems and understand how and why it is such an important part of youth culture.

Question 1: How will you incorporate this type of technology into your classroom?

I think that there can be many fun and inventive ways of incorporating this type of technology into the classroom.