Post on 14-Apr-2017
Five Ideas for Learning in the
Digital Age
Workshop by Peter Pappas
Information landscape of the traditional school
Teaching was info delivery
Teacher controlled access to information.
Student’s task was to remember it.
Teacher’s job: information gatekeeper
i n f o r m a t i o n f l o w i n
t h e d i g i t a l a g e
Information has escaped
Information is fluid
So what happens in schools, now that
life’s become an open book test?
Idea #1: Students need to learn a new (digital) literacy
Find, decode, critically evaluate information
Curate, store, responsibly share information
Task shifts from just comprehend
& remember
… to problem solving
Idea #2: Students need to be prepared to make choices and express their creativity
Analyze, evaluate and create
Digital tech put us all in charge of info we access, store and share
We compose 3.6 trillion words every day on
email and social media -the equivalent of 36
million books~ Clive Thompson
Don’t compete with technology.
Harness it for learning and
personal growth
Idea #3: Give students increasing responsibility for their learning
Student choice fosters motivation and self-reflection
Content - what knowledge and skills will be studied?
Process - what materials, procedures, etc will be used?
Product - what will students produce to demonstrate their learning?
Evaluation - how will the learning be assessed?
Increasing student choice
Work as directed by the teacher.
Figure out my own approaches.
Share and defend my thinking.
Evaluate my progress.
Idea #4: Learning is social. Students need teamwork skills
Master “soft skills”
~ collaboration,
presenting, listening, sharing
Idea #5: Have the courage to be less helpful
Focus on what motivates us
• Autonomy
• Mastery
• Challenge
• Making a difference
• Purpose