Digital Natives: Engaging the 21st

Century(An Integrative Guide Through

Podcasts, Apps, Digitally Native Students & More) By Kathryn Damicone

Hello & Welcome!Kathryn Damicone, Kent State University

Health & Physical Education

Graduate in May 2014

2012-2013 OAHPERD Student Division Health Co-Representative

2013-2014 OAHPERD Student Division Chair

“If it were possible to generally define the mission of education, it could be said its fundamental purpose is that ensure that all students benefit from learning in ways that allow them to participate fully in the public, community, [creative,] and economic life.” –New London Group (2000, pg. 9)

Digital NativesDigital Native: born into the era of digital language including computers, videogames, instant messaging, & the Internet

Almost all students today are “native speakers” and the language is ever-changing!

Digital Immigrant: those who were not born into the digital world but have adopted many or most aspects of the new technology

Digital NativesWhat are some distinguishing characteristics that we know or have observed to be true about our 21st century digital native students?

Nomadic Grazing Patterns of Digital

NativesUsed to receiving information very quickly (often immediately)

They like to parallel process and multitask (or try)

They prefer their graphics before their texts rather than the other way around

They function best when well-networked

They thrive on instant gratification & frequent reward

They’re more open to learn when it ‘doesn’t feel like learning’

The Challenge‘Digital Immigrant’ instructors are struggling to keep up with the ever-changing digital language!

Most information we receive from the digital era & media are extremely negative and counterproductive

Many of our own experiences with technology and/or digital natives have also been negative

The MethodologyToday’s teachers should learn how to communicate in the language and style of their students.

This does NOT imply changing the meaning of what is important, or of critical thinking skills.

Participatory Culture

With relatively low barriers of expression & engagement

With strong support creating and sharing with others

Where students believe their contribution matters

Where members feel a degree of social connection with one another

ImplicationsPotential benefits of such a culture include:

Opportunities for peer-to-peer learning

Diversification of cultural expression

Development of skills valued in the modern workplace

More empowered conception of citizenship

New Academic Language

Play- the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving

Performance- the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery

Simulation- the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes

Appropriation- the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content

New Academic Language

Multitasking- the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details

Distributed Cognition- the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities

Collective Intelligence- the ability to pull knowledge and compare notes with others towards a common goal

Judgment- the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information resources

New Academic Language

Trans-media Navigation: the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities

Networking: the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information

Negotiation: the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms.

Potential AvenuesBlogs

Podcasts

Wikis

HUH???

BlogsA website where an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis

Unique, creative, fun to personalize

Why Use Blogs?

Apps

PodcastsiPod + Broadcast = Podcast

Also known as “Amateur Radio”

A method of distributing multimedia files over the Internet for playback on mobile devices & personal computers

Why Use Podcasts?

“Podcasting is yet another way for [students] to be creating and contributing ideas to a larger conversation, and it’s a way of archiving that contribution for future audiences to use.” –Will Richardson, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts & Other Powerful Webtools for Classrooms

Why Use Podcasts?

Enable students to share their knowledge and expertise with others through a creative outlet

Tap into a mode of media input that is a commonplace for digital natives

Empower students to form relationships with the content and each other in relevant ways

Engage students in thinking critically about their speaking fluency & communication skills

Creating a podcast about what students would like to discuss with others can be extremely motivating

Why Use Podcasts?

In the classroom, educators and students can use podcasts to inform others about class news, current events, or other areas of interest

Students can use a podcast forum to persuade peers to help a cause, make a difference, or try something new

Podcasts can also be used to “edutain” others through creative narratives

How Can You Use Podcasts in

Health?Practice lessons recorded by the teacher or students

Advocacy for an important health-related cause

Health-related conversations, discussions, & debates

Oral reports

Health-related concepts or vocabulary practice

Overview of a unit or topic

Instructional materials from existing podcasts

Information for parents & community

How Can You Use Podcasts in PE?

Overview of a unit or topic

Advocacy for physical education or promoting physical activity

Sport Education Model: record team report, narration of seasonal game play and improvement

Cultural Studies Model: help students become critical consumers of sport culture- talk about it!

Controversies & current events (Olympics!)

Information for parents & community

How Do I Get Started?

1. Write your script

2. Practice

3. Record your audio file

4. Edit your audio file (optional: add music!)

5. File > Save Project

6. Export as an MP3 onto a web server

App

References

Thank You!I hope you’ve enjoyed the presentation and learned something worth exploring further…

Any questions?

Concerns?

Comments?

General gripes?