Compare and Contrast

Vision of Today's Students (digital ethnography)

Average class size is 115, teachers don't know students names.
Multitasking-  avg. student day had 26.5 hrs in it-----college life.
Filling out tests wont help us deal with anything in the real world.
Didn't create problems, but they are ours.
Technology alone cannot save us...integration.
Blackboards are the most used tech in a classroom, something is wrong here.
Today's students are overwhelmed by when entering an educational system designed in the 18th century when information and resources were scarce...passive students, lack of motivation, no desire to go above or beyond.

K-12 Students (21st century pedagogy)
Create, consume, remix and share, e-mail, text, blog.
Let me create something new.
Teachers don't know how to utilize technology.
Useless assignments.
Think, create, analyze, evaluate, apply,...they want to do stuff.
Tells stories digitally.
Engage...tech is where students are...digital learners, use to your advantage.


Both videos used statistics to shed light on America's under-performing education system. The most obvious difference between the two videos was the age of the subjects. The vision of today's students dealt with college students, while the k-12 video dealt with that group. The first video portrayed the average college student as an overworked, technological junky that multitasks in order to survive.  The second video painted a picture of young individuals who wanted to be engaged in a digital environment. I think both videos were arguing the integration of technology into the classroom, but their approach seemed to vary.  The vision of today's students video seemed to suggest that students waste a great deal of time on Facebook and other applications during class time, but the k-12 video seemed to ask for use anywhere, anytime type attitude.  It is absolutely necessary to engage these students in a digital environment, but these students must also be monitored carefully to prevent distractions.  Authentic digital experiences are necessary because that is where the students are, and those are the types of skills that will make them marketable in the 21st century. It would be a disservice if we didn't provide such an experience.