The use of digital media is changing the way young people are learning today, said Mizuko ‘Mimi’ Ito of the University of California, Irvine.
A learning transformation has started in the US; however, it is not happening inside the schoolroom. Technology is revolutionising how young individuals learn, play and take part in the community, she says.
The researcher studies the utilisation of digital media, internet and other social networking sites in improving the way of learning for young people. The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation granted a $2.97 million support for the study.
“Kids today are learning outside the boundaries of formal education,” states Ito. “Technology is allowing them to access information and craft their own identities in unprecedented ways, without interference from parents or teachers”.
She and other colleagues interviewed over 800 teens and observed them in social networking sites for more than three years. Their study serves as the basis for the new book, ‘Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media’, which discusses the complex dynamics of the present generation under a digital era.
The study revealed that, in contrast with what adults perceive, youths develop significant life skills through the internet and gadgets, such as cell phones and iPods to play, socialise or research. They are able to cope with different norms, discover interests, practise technical abilities, and explore ways of self-expression. Teens have also welcomed the digital era, because it promotes self-directed knowledge and independence.
A learning transformation has started in the US; however, it is not happening inside the schoolroom. Technology is revolutionising how young individuals learn, play and take part in the community, she says.
The researcher studies the utilisation of digital media, internet and other social networking sites in improving the way of learning for young people. The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation granted a $2.97 million support for the study.
“Kids today are learning outside the boundaries of formal education,” states Ito. “Technology is allowing them to access information and craft their own identities in unprecedented ways, without interference from parents or teachers”.
She and other colleagues interviewed over 800 teens and observed them in social networking sites for more than three years. Their study serves as the basis for the new book, ‘Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media’, which discusses the complex dynamics of the present generation under a digital era.
The study revealed that, in contrast with what adults perceive, youths develop significant life skills through the internet and gadgets, such as cell phones and iPods to play, socialise or research. They are able to cope with different norms, discover interests, practise technical abilities, and explore ways of self-expression. Teens have also welcomed the digital era, because it promotes self-directed knowledge and independence.
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