I know how you feel about your new phone and trying to explore all of it’s functions……like you ,I do not read the instruction booklet and then because off it I usually do something or press a button I shouldn’t have resulting in having to phone customer support and feeling embarrassed when I feel obliged to inform them that I could’t be bothered to read the instructions because I am a Visual Learner.

As every adult already knows ….if all else fails ….ask a child. They seem to have an innate ability to solve any and usually the most difficult technical problem.

By the way can someone tell me how to set the timer on my vcr so I can record when I am away from home….I have had the thing forever and still have’nt figured it out.

Let’s keep on exploring and learning.

Good luck with your phone Robert.

The amazing thing is I myself have talked about digital natives and immigrants but how now reached the point where I have decided that in many ways this and the different generations often leads people to have misconceptions. Often people will say we need to be using this technology with students because this is what they are using so it will engage them more. The reality is that our youth use technology very differently — they tend to be good at using it for how they want to use it e.g. SMS their friends, or gaming online with their friends but no always that good with how we need them to use it.

If we look at how they social network — they will normally be doing this mostly with their f2f friends — I am sure in David’s example with his son SMS they will have been all friends that he went to school with. The idea of collaborating and sharing on a global basis is definitely important to their future and are skills we need to give them.

The thoughts you had regarding the keynote are issues/ideas that are somewhat reaffirming but I’d also have to say that some of them aren’t all that new - in particular the last one: The best thing we can teach children today is how to teach themselves. I remember very clearly as a secondary school student (ok… it was a while ago now… over 15 years? scary!) more than one of my teachers emphasising this point indirectly. Our classrooms may not have had any computers, let alone the internet, but we did have many inspirational teachers who encouraged us to question, investigate the world around us and be life-long learners. Perhaps it’s because of them that I became a teacher myself.

Having said all that, as I’m currently typing my two and a half year old daughter is on my lap asking to play “poo-tah” (she’s a big fan of the ABC Kids website) and has just discovered how to make the mousepad work. She’s very pleased with herself. It makes me wonder what her learning environment will be like over the next 20 years or so.

Thanks for the comment.

Actually the best thing I like about Chris’s and John’s post is that fact that I have been introduced to bloggers who I had not come across.

I suppose in terms of the tipping point it really gets back to the reason why you blog. But lets both agree that it is nice to get comments. So here is another to add to your tipping point.

Sue