Putting the Learning Together

It's been an interesting week for me as my work on Social Networking for my group project is morphing into a study of Net Geners (born 1982-91) and the fascinating ways they are using technology and particularly what they would LIKE to be doing in schools. I'm finding this so exciting, because as it turns out we shouldn't be afraid of how kids want to use technology....in fact, they have the same goals as we educators!
Net Geners want:

• communication
• collaboration
• self-directed learning
• and more ways to construct and demonstrate knowledge.

Perfect!
What I've always believed to be the best learning approach then, project-based learning (PBL), is even more important today. PBL allows students to ask the really hard, important questions, to collaborate deeply, and to construct knowledge. Technology is a crucial part of making this learning more engaging, more interactive, faster, and more multi-modal and globally connected than ever before.

For more information on the Net Generation listen to this podcast.