ELI2007: Emerging Educational Technologies and Neomillennial Learning Styles

Chris Dede - Harvard Graduate School of Education

{My comments in brackets}

{Before talk - ELI Guide To...Podcasting available in week}

shifts in knowledge and skills/development of new methods of teaching and learning/changes in characteristics of learners

move beyond tactical tools (blogs, podcasts etc) to strategic transformations in missions (look at big picture 15 yrs out)

definition of info tech changing - more personal expression and interpretation uses

cognition distributed across minds/ tools/ space/time

tech unintelligent but good at doing routine tasks

"new division of labor" - work by people v work by machines, people better at expert decision making (mechanic knows why car is broken)/ complex communications

next gen interfaces for learning: world to desktop/multi-user virtual spaces/ubiquitous computing

mmogs: demographics expanding - lots of folks will live alt life if meets interests/ learning processes outstanding (collaborative learning)/ content of games sucks {he said "garbage" but you know...}

river city - online VR educational game to teach science inquiry skills {has library in town for research!}, target bottom 1/3 of students but reach all - students getting D and F in real classroom do just as well as A students

situated learning - apprenticeship type learning, legitimate peripheral participation, tacit learning

gaming creates distributed-learning community (mediated, situated immersion)

wireless mobile devices for students instead of laptops - more affordable and portable

augmented reality - use gps/ handheld to walk around and investigate, mystery at mit {gps games to learn about physical/ virtual library space?}

students enjoy collaborative learning in river city/ mystery at mit - need to teach students in way that they learn, experience central instead of pre-digested info, gives context to knowledge

media shape participants regardless of age

neomillennial learning styles - fluency in multiple media/learning based on collective experience seeking instead of individual

need to unlearn unconscious beliefs about education to adapt to new learners, can be difficult for many instructors