Monkey scribbles …

I was interested in a post by Kearney (2009) entitled ‘Young people as ‘digital bricoleurs’. The term bricoleurs was the thing that grabbed my attention given it was a term that I had not seen before. Kearney (2009) refers to the metaphor as being “… most suitable for thinking about the type of new media activities some children are participating in”. He continues by stating that “As well as reading, critiquing and listening to new media, these young people are typically creating, ‘mashing’, publishing and ‘talking around’ personally and culturally meaningful artefacts”.  In essence, Kearney is referring to technology and digitilisation; students and their ability to develop, create and accept ownership of artefacts; valuing, culture and change; user-friendliness and accessibility of collaboration tools; and, the audience for whom the artefacts have been created and, how they might “explore, share and interact with others”. 

Reflection

1.  What is your understanding of the term ‘bricoleur’?

2.  What place do ‘Young people as digital bricoleurs’ have in classrooms today?

References (used in Kearney’s post)

Brown, J. (2000). Growing up digital: How the web changes work, education, and the ways people learn. Change, March/April, 11-20.


Hsi, S. (2007). Conceptualizing learning from the everyday activities of digital kids.
International Journal of Science Education, 29:12, 1509 – 1529 

Have you ever been “Googled” or maybe “Googled” somebody else?

I have, and it set me back a little to realise how much information was out there and easily accessible to many at the touch of a finger on a keyboard about my professional experiences. This has been further reinforced by a recent article by Richardson (2008) that I have read that describes the concept of “Digital Footprints in the Digital Age“. Richardson refers to the “consequences of the new Web 2.0 world that these digital footprints are being woven into the fabric of almost every aspect of our lives”. A personal footprint allows others to view an online portfolio of your achievements and information gathered from sources including blog posts, news articles, Facebook groups, YouTube videos and builds a picture of various aspects of your involvement and daily interests.

“Whether we like it or not, social Web technologies are having a huge influence on students who are lucky enough to be connected, even the younger ones” (Richardson, 2008). He continues by stating that “they’re creating all sorts of content—some, as we all know, doing so very badly—and they’re doing all sorts of things with online tools that, for the most part, we’re not teaching them anything about. In the process, they’re becoming Googleable without us”. By and large, they do all this creating, publishing, and learning on their own, outside school, because when they enter the classroom, they typically “turn off the lights” (Prensky, 2008).

What are our thoughts on digital footprinting? Are there issues that we as educators should be considering when informing and teaching our students about the many facets of technology and being aware of who is out there and what they can see/read?

Reference

Balista, H. (July 17, 2007). Our Digital Footprints: Google’s (and Microsoft’s) most valuable asset. *reference for image include in post

Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.

Richardson, W. (2008). Digital Footprints in the Digital Age. Educational Leadership, 66(3), 16-19.

Confused about web 2.0 or need some assistance understanding what it is? Try these links to assist you:

• Understanding web 2.0 – an introduction
• Web 2.0 … the machine is us/ing us …
• What Is Web 2.0
  Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software
• Web 2.0 Toolset overview
• Becta report shows benefits of web 2.0 in the classroom

  Becta has published major new research into the use of Web 2.0 technologies, such as wikis, blogs and social networking, by children between the ages of 11-16, both in and out of the school environment. Check out the link above for more information.

Reflection

Have you found any interesting links or articles related to web 2.0 that are worthwhile sharing?

“Social networks, simulations, and digital gaming are bridging the gap between traditional scholastic culture and today’s learners”. Graf & Haas (September/October 2008) consider the way in which educators, researchers, and designers are just beginning to explore the educational benefits of social networking technologies. They believe that social networking technologies assist teachers and students “to extend their learning into an additional space, a space for communicating, collaborating, sharing ideas, and sharing learning”. Experiential learning involving hands-on, real-world experiences are the ideal way in which students actively engage in the learning process and actually learn material. The experiences involve concepts and knowledge related to classroom content. We are reminded that the use of technology, as a tool, in classroom learning situations has to be thought out clearly and purposefully. Tools, when used properly, can provide tremendous value to students and teachers.

Reflection

How would you implement social networking technologies into your classroom teaching and/or KLA?

Reference

Groff, J. & Haas, J. (September/October 2008), Learning & Leading with Technology. pp. 12-13.