Public Health

21st Century Digital Learning

July 13, 2010

Reimagining Learning in the 21st Century

A few weeks ago, in searching the Internet for information about 21st century prensky-tdn-final_cover.jpgeducation, I found the MacArthur Foundation’s website and descriptions of their activities in digital learning. My sister Sara was visiting over the weekend, and we enthusiastically discussed our shared passion for education, especially the cutting edge where the present and future begin to converge. She led me to even more exciting, thought-provoking papers about education. MacArthur Foundation has posted several papers, and there’s a set of talks on reimagining learning.  Some of my colleagues don’t buy the hypothesis that millennials are different from previous generations. Skipping generational labels, it is clear there are fundamental differences between previous generations and young adults today.  My generation certainly wasn’t spending nearly eight hours/week doing text and instant messaging and more than eight hours/week on email! What does this mean for how students today learn and want to learn? What will students in 2015 or 2020 be like? These students will have come of age in networked communities and online conversations. Those are some of the questions that have got me and some of the faculty thinking. Our education must be relevant, exciting, effective and marc_prensky.jpgappropriate.

Marc Prensky, a writer and lecturer on learning and education, will speak at the School July 28th at 10am in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Auditorium.

Topic: Teaching Digital Natives: Partnering for Real Learning.

We hope to see you there.

Have a good day. Happy Monday. Barbara


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The views expressed in this blog are Barbara Rimer’s alone and do not represent the views and policies of The University of North Carolina or the Gillings School.