Den brittiska tankesmedjan Demos publicerade nyligen rapporten “Their Space” som belyser hur skolbarn i åren 7 till 16 förhåller sig till den digital tekniken. Slutsatsen är att de redan lever helt digitalt genomsyrade liv och har ingen uppfattning om något annat. Även om det finns skillnader i nivå mellan olika grupper så befinner sig barnen på en mycket högre nivå än vad både föräldrar och lärare har en uppfattning om.
Text från rapportens sammanfattning:
The current generation of decision-makers – from politicians to teachers – see the world from a very different perspective to the generation of young people who do not remember life without the instant answers of the internet or the immediate communication of mobile phones. It is these decision-makers who shape the way that digital technologies are used in the system and who set them up to limit their use and role in everyday life. This is a short-term solution to a long-term change. In an economy driven by knowledge rather than manufacturing, employers are already valuing very different skills, such as creativity, communication, presentation skills and team-building.Schools are at the front line of this change and need to think about how they can prepare young people for the future workplace. But it is not just about schools – parents, young people and society in general have a blind spot in terms of recognising and valuing these ‘softer’skills.
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In order to see change across the system, there needs to be a shift in thinking about investment from hardware towards relationships and networks.In the last ten years we have seen a staggering change in the amount of hardware in schools, but it has not had a significant impact on teaching and learning styles.
Läs gärna rapporten eller lyssna på en Demos podcast där författarna Hannah Green and Celia Hannon berättar om slutsatserna.
Idén bakom projektet föddes, enligt inledningen, av att man läste Steven Berlin Johnsons intressanta bok “Everything Bad Is Good for You- How Today’s Popular Culture is actually making us smarter “.
Uttrycket “den digitala klyftan” får liksom en tydligare mening när man läser detta. Om vi ser det i ett längre perspektiv: hur mycket hänger egentligen på om vi analoga människor kan hantera denna digitala generation?
