Born Digital

You see them everywhere.  The teenage girl with the ipod…the whiz kid summer intern in your office who knows what to do when your email client crashes…the eight-year-old who can beat you at any video game…and types faster than you.

All of them are “Digital Natives.” They were all born after 1980…major aspects of their lives – social interactions, friendships, civic activities – are mediated by digital technologies.  And they’ve never known any other way of life.

Born Digital

John Palfrey & Urs Gasser

Recently 21^st Century Parent presented a keynote address to a large audience of parents.  The topic was parent involvement in public education.  The reality is that as our learners are changing, parent involvement will also need to change.  Maybe you recognize your kids in the quote above.  Some of you will recognize yourselves (the first generation of children born to digital natives is now in elementary school), but for most of us – we are still “digital immigrants”.  So what does this mean for our kids?  What does this mean for parent involvement?

This is Part 1 of a series about what is unique and wonderful (and sometime scary and concerning) about the world of digital natives.  21^st Century Learning is an opportunity to change education for the future – to make it more appropriate for those born digital.  We believe parent involvement is crucial in the development of this new education model.  But in order to be involved, we need to understand the unique, wonderful (and sometimes scary and concerning) complexities of raising this digital generation.

But this is more than a one-way information opportunity.  As parents we need to have continued dialogue about what this means for us, for our kids, and for our schools.  21^st Century Parent looks forward to dialogue (digital and otherwise) as we explore what it means to be “Born Digital”.

Education is a Three-Legged Stool

John Abbott (President of the 21^st Century Initiative in the United Kingdom)  uses this metaphor to describe the strength of an educational system where parents, community and school are represented by one leg of the stool.  All legs have the same length and can balance on any surface.   

Michael Fullan also refers to the “power of three” when he describes the untapped impact of teachers, parents and students working together to improve student performance.  Most parents do not want to run the school but they do want their children to do better. Research shows that the more involved parents are in their child’s education, the greater the educational impact.

Parents need to be involved with their schools.  Students need to be part of the decision making. The educational system is complex and increasingly so as technology advances and educators look for meaningful ways to tap into this ever expanding world.  The “Power of Three”, where parents, students and teachers align themselves towards a common goal has potential beyond our current understanding.

What common goals could we impact with the “Power of Three”?

Building an Plan for 21st Century Education

After listening to British Columbia Minister of Education, George Abbott, at last weekend’s BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils conference, it’s clear that 21^st Century Education is a primary focus. There also seems to be a realization that simply recognizing that change is necessary is not enough.  To paraphrase Minister Abbott when asked if the legislation will be amended to reflect the new paradigm…”You can’t just build a master plan with the stroke of a pen, educational reform has to be done in the real world.” 

Many parents at the conference expressed both an interest and a hesitation regarding what 21^st Century Education will actually look like as it is implemented.  The Ministry answer seems to be “We don’t quite know yet.”  While that may seem frustrating to some, it’s exciting news around here…it means that the decisions haven’t been made, that the dialogue is still flowing, and that parents can still be involved in the development of this very important vision in education.

The scholarship application essay topic for the BC School Superintendents’ Association poses an interesting question for our grads.  We believe it’s equally important for parents to answer…

"Personalized Learning in the 21st Century. How should schools address the learning needs of students for the next generation?"