Digital Curriculum - Their Space

The way young people use technology outside school is changing and so are the ways they learn. This is synopsis of a report carried out by ‘Demos’, funded by the National College for School Leadership in the UK, which explores how schools should respond to children's informal learning with digital media such as games consoles, the internet and mobile phones. The report looks for strategies that would equip school leaders to understand what young people are learning outside the classroom and how schools can build on it.

You may want to listen to the "Their Space - education for digital education" podcast.

Report Summary
The baseline finding from the research was that the use of digital technology has been completely normalised by this generation, and it is now fully integrated into their daily lives. The majority of young people simply use new media as tools to make their lives easier, strengthening their existing friendship networks rather than widening them. Almost all are now also involved in creative production, from uploading and editing photos to building and maintaining websites. However, there is a gap between a smaller group of digital pioneers engaged in groundbreaking activities and the majority of children who rarely strayed into this category. Meanwhile, contrary to society’s assumptions about safety, this generation is also capable of self-regulation when kept well informed about levels of risk.

Finally, many children interviewed had their own hierarchy of digital activities when it came to assessing the potential for learning. In contrast to their teachers and parents they were very conscious that some activities were more worthwhile than others.

For the full report go to the demos site.