Thoughts from Week Two - Ch. 3 & 4

If anyone had to miss the discussion this week, these notes I took might be helpful. 

8 Norms of NetGen

Freedom

• Value choice; Students bargain for flexibility of assignments if only one option is given
• Drawback: Do students really understand the consequences of each choice?
• How will a need for freedom and choice impact them later in the workforce? There are plenty of tasks that must be completed in a specific way with no other options.
• Why can't assessment be peer-oriented?  (Then we'll need to teach peer evaluation.) Drawbacks:  lack of time, quality of assessment, teacher fears of getting out of a comfort zone
• How do we address different learning styles when the assessment is still the same? (See Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe)

Customization

• Students don't care as much about functionality as they do about fun
  • Customization isn't always about fun--it could be adding or altering functionality
• Is learning always about fun?  (Differentiated instruction can be more motivating because it meets students where they are and allows them to process information in a manner in which they are more comfortable.)

Scrutiny

• The author says that Net Gen are naturals at their ability to scrutinize and distinguish between fact and fiction simply because they have access to so much information, they are used to doing this.
• Educators in the discussion disagree based on student observations, citing inaccurate ways students interpret visuals and their tendency to take things at face value.  (would like to see more research on this)
• Teachers need to find the things that students are scrutinizing well online and have them apply those skills in the content areas.
• Debate on open-ended questions
• Mind-set should be more about inquiry than learning (see Dweck's Mind-Set book)

Integrity

• The author says that Net Genners have a greater global/ethical awareness, are more environmentally conscious, and are better stewards of the planet because they have instant access to others around the world.
• Educators in the discussion disagree because of the ethical issues surrounding intellectual property and copyright law. 
• Teachers need to be teaching more about Creative Commons.  The recent story about Shepard Fairey's use of an AP photo to create art for Obama's campaign is a good example to use to open the copyright discussion.

Entertainment, Collaboration, Innovation, Speed

• Net Gen students prefer a collaborative environment, a marriage of work and play.
• Innovation:  see Ken Robinson's book about finding your passion
• Speed:  Even the curriculum is speed-based--an inch deep and a mile wide. Medina's Brain Rules book suggests that multi-tasking is a myth.
• www.21stcenturyschools.com/20th_vs_21st_Century_Classroom.htm

Chapter Four

• Digital world changes brains--NetGen is more flexible, adaptable, with better spatial skills
• Would like more research on video games and surgeon's skills--better doctors, or better technology, or better pre- and post-operative care?
• "Hypertext mind" does not process L-R, sequentially (but is this an evolutionary shift or a cultural shift?)

If we can't learn how to think, act, perform and behave in the same ways as our students, then how can we best teach them?