Kaleidoscope65

Digital Citizenship – Dr.Yong Zhao 7/20/2007 BLC07 July 20, 2007

Core Questions:

1. What knowledge is of the most worth?
2. How do the realities of this new world impact the kinds of talents needed?
3. How are we helping our students become effective digital citizens?
4. If we shape our world, how is the world going to shape us?

Core idea:  Re-imagining Education given the realities of our current world.   We need to redefine what academic success means and what talents are needed.  In order to accomplish this, we need to reconfigure our institutions.
Realities of the day: Technology has transformed our world

• When a new tool evolves, only those who know how to use it can use it.
• Challenge: International warfare in cyberspace.
• Virtual marriage and second life, socializing virtually
• Second Life – Merges virtual and real worlds (real dealerships for cars!)
• half-life – another game – violent (stress-relieving)
• Digital famers market: Gold farming and digital produce – sweatshops??
• YouTUBE, podcasting:  Everyone is an author, running your own show
• Media changes lives

The Global Realities:

• Friedman:  The world is Flat
• Marshall McLuhan “As electrically contracted, the globe is more than a village.”
• Global free flow of goods.
• McDonaldization and Starbucks in the Forbidden City – Global consumerism brings a way of living, a threat to traditional cultures – in Japan, abandoned idea of eating with chopsticks.  Exported obesity, but they have also done something good – taught people how to wait in line and to be polite!
• Our students are affected by global forces – what talents and attitudes should we
•  Global supply chain – it’s a big job to make the ipodMini – created in China…
• Global economy, virtual world – MULTIPLE IDENTITIES – Where do your loyalties lie?

Realities:

• More people are self-employed
• Children can act like adults – they can have identities
• Daniel Pink: “Moving from the Information age to the Conceptual Age” : A Whole New Mind
  • Asia, Automation, Abundance are causing changes from the information age – left-brain directed thinking (sequential, literal, funcational, textual, analytic)
  • Conceptual Age – Righ-brain: simultaneous, metaphorical,

New Skilss

• Design: ipod and Starbucks (software engineering)
• Story
• Symphony
• Empathy
• Play
• Meaning

Digital Citizenship: Are we preparing students to be citizens in a digital age?

• Living in a digital world (consumers, citizens, community leaders – in virtual communities?)
• Making a living in the digital world (digital workers, global workers)
• (Re) creating the digital world (Innovators, entrepreneurs)

How are we ruining our chances?

• NCLB: more math, science and English – even if test scores are as good as the Chinese and Indians, probably not b/c those people are cheaper.  Instead, find our NICHE talents – what makes us different?
• These reforms are different from what is happening in Asia…
• If you understand the realities of multiple intelligences, how can you apply one standard, you are only testing one ability.  You are dropping most other kids.  Is that OK???

Have we made a mistake?  Asking teachers to do too much in 45 minutes?  How can they redefine their talents?  Where should their talents be taking them?

In second life – Learning a new language…visiting islands with actual products, like DELL computer .  This is a different world!!