Front Page

Benefits

Risks

Where is the Internet used?

Who are they with?

What do they do?

Dangers

Protection or Freedom?

Through a child's eyes

Section 2: Education

What do they do?

Internet use falls into two very different categories:

Older people tend to be task-oriented. They use Google to find things out and email to keep in touch with family and friends. In business they may use videoconferencing.

Young people, by contrast, spend their lives surrounded by a personal network of friends and family they are in touch with 24 hours a day.

Older people:

•    research

•    email

•    videoconferencing

Young people:

•    interactive chat rooms

•    instant messaging

•    online games

•    social networking

•    virtual worlds

 

 

It’s fascinating how there is a generational difference in the way the Internet is used. Older people predominantly see it as an electronic version of the old technologies – a place you go to when you wish to perform a particular task.

Young people on the other hand, see it as a ubiquitous connecting technology that simply enables them to be in constant touch with an entire network of people.

In this context you can see why education is still stuck in the old “delivery” model where a body of knowledge has to be learned and tested. Young people see themselves as learning by collaborating and creating and are increasingly disengaging with education.

See this video for a taste of how students perceive education today: http://tinyurl.com/cte5zk

And this one for an overview of education in Second Life: http://tinyurl.com/c7ynw6

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