The MacArthur Foundation has released the comprehensive results of multiple ethnographic studies describing and evaluating adolescent use of technology. In total, the report is quite positive and indicates that adolescents make productive use of the Internet and technology devices for personal learning and in what the report describes as “friendship-driven” social activities.
While the focus of the report ignores within-school, curriculum based learning, the generally positive take on what individuals of this age range do with technology should offer a challenge to administrators concerned that they must filter within the school.
Some may see this as offering a message to those in traditional schools. Perhaps. However, it seems fair to ask if the expectations of a comprehensive curriculum can be based on what may have always been true about the commitment we all make to our hobbies and personal interests? With the exception of the commitment of a far larger proportion of a group to similar activities but not necessarily similar goals, I am not certain I see that a demonstration of personal, self-regulated learning as a novel revelation. What about understanding this research as a message to parents?
I see Marshall Kirkpatrick, writing on the ReadWriteWeb, offers some similar observations.
