1. MELS Working Document 20101 Digital Learners ICT in the ESL Classroom

2. MELS Working Document 20102 Digital Teens in Quebec (2009) Spend an average of 16 hours a week on the Internet 91% have access to high speed Internet 62% use social media websites – “Social media has replaced strolling at the mall” danah boyd

3. MELS Working Document 20103 Digital Teens in Quebec (2009) 91% use the computer to do school work 90% use the Internet as their source of information for their school work 13% use the computer at school (high school) Only a small % produce content on the web

4. MELS Working Document 20104 Digital Teens in Quebec (2009) 84% own an iPod or mp3 player 64% have a personal desktop computer 57% own a conventional cell phone 39% have a personal laptop 5% own a smart phone

5. MELS Working Document 20105 Digital Teens in the US (2008) How teens communicate daily: 51% talk to friends on their cell phones 42% send messages through social networking sites 38% send text messages (  ) 32% talk to friends on a landline phone (  ) 16% send emails

6. MELS Working Document 20106 The three levels of using ICT: 2.  Messing around 1.Hanging out  3. Geeking out 

7. MELS Working Document 20107 A. Digital Learner’s Brain “Different kinds of experiences lead to different brain structures." Dr. Bruce D. Berry Baylor College of Medicine

8. MELS Working Document 20108 The “C” Generation Started using the Internet when they were young Have different brain connections than other learners

9. MELS Working Document 20109 The “C” Generation Playing is essential Experts at skimming and instantly sharing information Affected by the "multitasking" way of life

10. MELS Working Document 201010 Multitasking derives from the term computer multitasking: the ability for a computer to deal with information simultaneously

11. MELS Working Document 201011 Multitasking "You're doing more than one thing, but you're ordering them and deciding which one to do at any one time." - Neuroscientist Jordan Grafman, chief of the cognitive neuroscience section National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

12. MELS Working Document 201012 Multitasking To get closer to multitasking, different "channels" must be used Tasks can be done simultaneously or alternately

13. MELS Working Document 201013 Multitasking Chat Do homework Talk on the phone Watch TV Eat How effectively can all these tasks be accomplished simultaneously?

14. MELS Working Document 201014 A Cost to Multitasking "When you think you’re doing two things at once, you’re almost always just switching rapidly between them, leaking a little mental efficiency with every switch." - David E. Meyer, director Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory University of Michigan "Even if you can learn while distracted, it changes how you learn, making the learning less efficient and useful." - Russell A. Poldrack, researcher Multitasking Hinders Learning (2006)

15. MELS Working Document 201015 A Cost to Multitasking " When forced to multitask, the overloaded brain shifts make it hard to learn a task or even recall what you’ve been doing once you’re done." http://nymag.com/news/features/56793/index1.html The interruptions between tasks can lead to "dropping out" and loss of efficiency. Studies show that it can take from 10 minutes to 2 hours to go back to the initial task!

16. MELS Working Document 201016 So Why Multitask? Having multiple conversations (e.g. chat windows) is normal for teenagers. "The main goal behind their multitasking is not so much to be productive as to be connected to someone" Marilee Sprenger Educational Leadership, September 2009 Multitasking is a way of dealing with the overwhelming amount of information available

17. MELS Working Document 201017 So Why Multitask? For the future... Multitasking (in various forms) is here to stay. To make sure students don't go astray they need to: – be informed – be in control – test the truth of the facts Many jobs require some form of "multitasking" and those that already do are becoming more complex

18. MELS Working Document 201018 B. Characteristics of Digital Learners Use a variety of ICT Know how to use ICT on their own Have adapted reading, writing to their ICT tools: reading webpages in an F pattern, using abbreviations to text or to chat

19. MELS Working Document 201019 B. Characteristics of Digital Learners Stay connected 24/7, stay informed by P2P constant contact, the Internet is an extension of themselves Have lots of "friends" Are "prosumers" (producers & consumers)

20. MELS Working Document 201020 B. Characteristics of Digital Learners Are digital and media oriented Personalization is a way of expressing themselves Belong to the "learning by playing" generation

21. MELS Working Document 201021 B. Characteristics of Digital Learners Rely on challenges, creativity, self-esteem For them, learning needs to be an experiment The non-linear approach suits them better Go for menus, keywords, tags Are good at synthesis Are more collaborative

22. MELS Working Document 201022 B. Characteristics of Digital Learners They "power down", when they go to school. School is for meeting friends rather than for learning.

23. MELS Working Document 201023 B. Characteristics of Digital Learners Do you consider yourself to be a digital learner? What are the advantages and the disadvantages of being a digital learner in 2011?

24. MELS Working Document 201024 C. Privacy and Safety Issues Fact or fiction? ‘Total privacy has disappeared.’ With the development of ICT, the ability of the state and the private sector to collect, record personal information has grown exponentially. We can no longer view privacy as an absolute: it has become a negotiation, in which information is traded in exchange for other things.

25. MELS Working Document 201025 C. Privacy and Safety Issues We need to teach children and teens privacy management - making conscious and wise choices about what information to give out and why. Among larger US companies, 17% have disciplined an employee for violating blog or message boards policies.

26. MELS Working Document 201026 C. Privacy and Safety Issues About teen safety on the Internet... Is it better to control or to educate? Who should do it? Parents? Teachers? Their friends?

27. MELS Working Document 201027 D. Copyrights and Intellectual Property According to digital learners, sharing should be free… Their philosophy: everyone is a publisher, a producer, let's share, let's create, let's adapt, let's remix! Anyway, content is free, everyone knows that!

28. MELS Working Document 201028 D. Copyrights and Intellectual Property Prediction: By 2020, copyrighted material will still be ‘cracked’ for users to obtain it free of charge. New trend: creative commons What impact do copyright laws have in the classroom, for both teachers and students?

29. MELS Working Document 201029 E. New Times, New Learners Better to understand who they are and how they learn first Use learners as starting points, put them in the middle of the action They NEED to communicate, to be heard, to share their opinions

30. MELS Working Document 201030 E. New Times, New Learners Let them integrate genres: text with hyperlinks, pictures, video, some design ICT allow for differentiation more easily so using them is a plus They need their teachers, but more as guides than lecturers

31. MELS Working Document 201031 E. New Times, New Learners They need to know how to: – develop critical thinking – deal with true and false – handle hyperlinks – use different voices – write, produce using multiple modes – adapt/remix in order to share

32. MELS Working Document 201032 E. New Times, New Learners Based on the information that was just presented, how can teachers adapt their pedagogical practices in order to better meet their students’ needs?