Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

12.9.06 | As Kate Raynes-Goldie mentioned in her post, social networking sites get a bad rap, particularly in schools. Legislation like the Deleting Online Predators Act seeks to further separate the physical environments in which kids have to spend their days from the virtual environments to which they’re choosing to devote their time. But there are a growing number of examples of the powerful learning experiences these environments can create.

The Globalize This! Film Festival was a shining example. An 8th grade class from Scarborough, Ontario, powered by the TakingITGobal.org community, researched major global social issues and created short educational films. After their public screening, the students, most of whom do not speak English at home, took questions from the audience of adults—teachers, school district officials, and local community leaders. And they were the experts! After months learning about and discussing the issues and the change that young people are making, through TakingITGlobal’s vibrant blogs, discussion boards, and action project tools, the students had mastered a number of key twenty-first century skills, and produced a set of excellent educational resources for their peers.

This kind of exemplary use has given rise to a number of school-oriented social networking services, including the Oracle Foundation’s think.com and TakingITGlobal’s TIGed.org. And more and more students are benefiting from the combination of familiar toolsets, authentic audiences, and truly innovative opportunities for learning.