Anyone with a teenager knows that the use of digital media is on the rise. As BoardBuzz previously mentioned, in a recent report issued by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit research organization, the average amount of time children ages 8 to 18 spend using media for non-school related activities is up to seven hours and 38 minutes per day — that’s an increase of more than an hour compared to the same study conducted in 2004. The report, Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds, is based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,002 3rd-12th grade students. Included in this group was a self-selected group of 702 students who kept media-use diaries. These diaries were used to calculate the number of students who are multi-tasking in their media use using their cell phones and their laptops or iPods simultaneously, for example. The number of multi-taskers was also up significantly. The study concluded that the percentage of students who were heavy media users were more likely to get fair or poor grades when compared to light users — but maybe that doesn’t have to be the case.
A recent article in Education Week looked at this study, and while acknowledging the negative aspects, also pointed out the potential for student engagement found in the results. Could students who are used to the constant stimulation of digital media just be bored by the more passive, traditional teaching techniques in their classrooms? BoardBuzz is hearing from school districts across the country that have successfully integrated digital media into the learning process, taking advantage of students’ passion for technology to boost student involvement and achievement.
Several leading districts will showcase their successful use of digital media to engage students at NSBA’s 2010 Annual Conference, April 10-12 in Chicago. In addition to district workshops, there will also be a pre-conference site visit to Avoca school district to see firsthand how technology is transforming the education experience.
I agree, technology is here to stay. Technology is highly interactive and extremely engaging. It is what our students want. However, our district (like many others I am assuming) has yet to write technology into our curriculum. Therefore, it is up to the classroom teacher to incorporate. Honestly, I try but I feel like I am taking a proverbial “stab in the dark” at times. Wondering if other teachers feel the same way.
I believe that many of today’s students are bored by traditional teaching pedagogy in which a teacher delivers information through lecture. While taking classes towards a master’s degree with a specialization in integrating technology in the classroom, I am gaining a better understanding of what I need to do to adapt to the learning styles of today’s student. The use collaboration is a common thread through every class I have taken, and integrating technology with collaboration is the wave of the future. We, like many school districts, are lagging behind in terms of professional development for teachers, as well as in having sufficient funding for technology. In addtion, we do not allow cell phones in our school, and 63% of our school population is at poverty level, so many of our students still do not have technology in their homes. Digital media is here to stay, and I feel that every day we are falling further behind by not making worthwhile use of technology a priorty in our district and at our school.