understanding rhode islanders' concept of 21st-century education panel lead by suzanne mcdonald

RI’s Digital Education Aptitude

Designated Editor Speaking Series

Suzanne McDonald | New Media Strategist & Education Expert

[email protected]

Understanding Rhode Islanders’ Concept of 21st Century Education Poll Results & Panel Discussion

@NewMediaStrategist

www.designatededitor.com 2

Please take the poll …

@NewMediaStrategist

bit.ly/RI2014digitaledpoll

Case-senstitive

www.designatededitor.com 3 @NewMediaStrategist

A force-multiplier transforming Rhode Island into a global hub

for digital media design and production.


The brainstormers …

@NewMediaStrategist


Comments from poll-takers

@NewMediaStrategist

Access to education material for all but to games / social media - should be limited based upon age / parents choices This is the landscape in terms of how we communicate, anything less than providing access to relevant tools and channels would put our children at a disadvantage. I don't think young kids need the access. They'll be inundated soon enough. Let them be carefree through elementary school. Computer access yes but social media not until high school.


Let’s hear from you first

@NewMediaStrategist

What does these results suggest to you? What are the implications of this poll?



@NewMediaStrategist

Especially with a good teacher or curriculum to guide them It's important to not conflate "digital literacy" with "information literacy". Exposure and creation of digital media does not teach information literacy, any more than using, analyzing, and creating campaign flyers helps with skill-building or ability to identify misinformation. It's the information literacy skill of knowing to verify that does this. Technology is the factory or our time. Train them for what is useful and maybe we can actually stay a world power in the future generations.



@NewMediaStrategist

I don't think that most educators are afforded paid time to develop new skills given the amount of testing, changing standards, changing processes, etc. Technology mentoring will be required for both educators and children and cannot be simply added as another accessory duty to an educators workload. Additional personnel will be required. Teachers need to be ahead of the curve and use the time NOW to learn cloud based technology in preparation for the 1:1 school environment. Yes - I've found many teachers to be afraid of technology.



@NewMediaStrategist

Policies need to be vetted rather than instituted due to preferences. Just as in-school library catalogs shouldn't filter out library materials. Educators should have the ability to unblock websites, because no filtering software is perfect. Absolutely not. If kids want to see something, they'll see it. There are settings on Google that are sufficient and do not require advanced filters.



@NewMediaStrategist

Adult learners need a source of information, education and skills. Public libraries are logical community gather places for bridging the digital divide.

The problem is that they don't have the knowledge themselves nor the resources to obtain outside experts.

Good idea for the libraries to stay relevant, although there's plenty of other sources for this.

UP to Libraries. Knowledge is more than classes in how to run a piece of software that benefits a for-profit company.



@NewMediaStrategist

K-12 should NOT be utilizing cell phones. While theoretically a positive, this will be far more of a distraction. There are enough issues with cell phones and social media in the schools now ...

We have to take the opportunity to teach these tools. Playing with them won't be enough for real job opportunities.

Also, school curricula should include instruction on productive use of these technologies, interventions for students with digital addiction problems, and the intellectual danger of multitasking.

Usage of cellphones and social media should be banned!



@NewMediaStrategist

Not every family can be in position to do so. Not every family has access to internet/devices or a library Both because it is the way younger people engage with content now, but also because they need to master these tools in a professional context as well. Sometimes, as appropriate. They shouldn't always use shoeboxes, either, but sometimes shoeboxes are appropriate. Doesn't it already?



@NewMediaStrategist

Good grief. Standardized testing must die.

Be careful of inequity

Again, digital media helps people learn yes but often is is used as a substitute for learning - the computer gives me the answer rather than helps me arrive at the answer.

Disagree with Common Core in the first place

No, kids will learn this anyway, one way or another. Get Common Core to support reading, writing, reasoning, math.



@NewMediaStrategist

Great free resources like CODE.org to help jump-start.

It should be offered and encouraged.

This type of critical thinking is crucial to our kids' development and carries over into all subject matters. Teach programming from elementary school onward.

Not a particular skill that we need in the present. Funding would be outrageous to incorporate coding and software-development.

Yes!! Cannot emphasize this enough. YES! This will serve them well for any career.



@NewMediaStrategist

As an advocate for tangible resources and a less than positive outlook on online classes, I feel learning should be in a classroom with a real teacher interacting with students.

They can already do this, right?

In regards to K-12 students, I do not agree. Being in school is essential for socialization and growth purposes. Online courses would take away that experience. If this is offered for one class per semester or year, that's fine.

I teach for-credit online courses. They are of limited value, and are no substitute for a classroom experience.



@NewMediaStrategist

If there are online classes for k-12 it should be led by a live instructor in person.

It especially offers help to students with alternative learning styles. There's lots of research on flipped classrooms -- and online materials can be a robust way to build a flipped classroom. Watching a lecture, with the ability to, say, pause the lecture to take notes, is going to be much more effective for slow note-takers than a face-to-face lecture, for example.

We don't know what online learning does for K-12.

Especially if it allows students to work ahead of the class level.


The lineup …


Free Digital resource

Designated Editor Speaking Series

[email protected]

@NewMediaStrategist

Suzanne McDonald | New Media Strategist & Education Expert

RI’s Digital Education Aptitude Understanding Rhode Islanders’ Concept of 21st Century Education Poll Results & Panel Discussion