Meeting the Real Needs of Our Digital Native Learners

Graham.Stanley@britishcouncil.es

TESOL France 27th Annual Colloquium, 7-8 November 2008

http://www.slideshare.net/bcgstanley

A 'digital native' A 'digital native' is someone who is someone who grows up using grows up using technology as an technology as an everday part of everday part of their livestheir lives

http://www.marcprensky.com

Did you know the Did you know the average person average person graduating from graduating from university today university today only spends 5000 only spends 5000 hours of their hours of their lives reading lives reading paper-based paper-based books?books?

photo by the departmenthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/thedepartment/137413905/

Are your students 'digital natives'?

• relevant to their real lives

• prepare for their future

• motivate them to learn

• attention spans

• boredom

• “power down at school”

• choose not to

Research now Research now shows that shows that technology can technology can and does and does improve the improve the academic academic performance of performance of students in students in almost all almost all educational educational subjectssubjects

In British Council In British Council research, 69% of research, 69% of learners from learners from around the world around the world said that they said that they learned most learned most effectively when effectively when working in working in groups or when groups or when socialising socialising informally. informally.

73% of learners of English 73% of learners of English say they want to learn say they want to learn using a computer; 69% using a computer; 69% say socialising is a main say socialising is a main motivation in their motivation in their learning and that they learning and that they want to have fun; 92% want to have fun; 92% think that it's important to think that it's important to develop their problem-develop their problem-solving skillssolving skills

English has been English has been repositioned as a repositioned as a 'basic skill', to be 'basic skill', to be learned by learned by primary school primary school children alongside children alongside other 21other 21stst century century skills in skills in information information technology – technology – English NextEnglish Next

Did you know there are around Did you know there are around 2 billion teachers and learners 2 billion teachers and learners of English in the world?of English in the world?

Web 2.0Web 2.0

How many different cultures and countries are your learners connected to?

• open up classroom walls

• real reason to communicate

• finding other classes

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

Do you use any social Do you use any social networks like FaceBook, networks like FaceBook, MySpace or YouTube?MySpace or YouTube?

What about your learners?What about your learners?

photo: Scott Beale / laughingsquid.com.

In British Council In British Council research, 69% of research, 69% of learners from learners from around the world around the world said that they said that they learned most learned most effectively when effectively when working in working in groups or when groups or when socialising socialising informally. informally.

photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/nwinton/1601928610/

photo by Jillhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/lij/122525716/

ContentContentCreationCreation

photo by Stabilo Boss:http://flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/93136022/spoilt for choicespoilt for choice

How do you How do you use your use your mobile? mobile?

free online gamesfree online games

Video games have the potential to change the landscape of education as we know it...towards a new model of learning through meaningful activity in virtual worlds as preparation for meaningful activity in our post-industrial, technology-rich, real world. (James Gee)

It is forecast It is forecast that “80% of that “80% of active internet active internet users will have a users will have a Second Life in Second Life in the virtual world the virtual world by the end of by the end of 2011” (Gartner)2011” (Gartner)

- Gee, JP (2001) What Video Games Have to Tell Us About Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave.

- Gee, JP (2005) 'Why are Video Games Good for Learning?' http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/documents/MacArthur.pdf

- Jenkins, H (2003) 'Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked' http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html

- Prensky, M (2001) 'Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants' http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp

- de Freitas, S (2006) 'Learning in Immersive worlds - A review of game-based learning' http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearning_innovation/

- NMC 2007 Horizon Report: http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2007_Horizon_Report.pdf

- E-Learning Guild 360º Report (2007) 'Immersive Learning Simulations' http://www.elearningguild.com