Engaging your
“Digital Native”
Learner
Strategies for Educators
Your team of immigrant
workshop leaders:
•
•
•
•
•
Michelle Lin
Brad Monash
Gail Persily
Sandrijn van Schaik
Evans Whitaker
Ice Breaker
• What do you think when you
hear the term “millennial
learner”?
and/or
• What would you like to learn
from this workshop?
http://bit.ly/ZoZWtZ
Objectives
• Describe how the millennial generation
approaches learning.
• Employ technologies and other
strategies to engage learners
• Generate ideas for tech-based
approaches to stimulate ongoing
learning & information sharing
Workshop outline
• What’s the problem?
o The issues, terminology and (some)
data
• What strategies exist?
o Overview and exercises
Why should you care?
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&feature=player_detailpage
Digital Native
• Born after 1980
• First generation to
grow up with current
technology
• Native speakers of
the language of
computers, video
games, cell phones
Before entering college
• > 250,000 emails
• >10,000 hours talking on cell phones
• >10,000 hours of playing video games
• >20,000 hours watching TV
Millennials
Some Debate
Millennials/digital natives
have different learning
styles and preferences;
therefore require a
different approach to
education
“Academic form of
moral panic” - many
generalizations and no data
to suggest that academic
outcomes suffer with current
approaches
But (limited) data does suggest....
http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Understanding+Digital+Children+-+Ian+Jukes
http://tinyurl.com/c9vbqa4
Millennial quizzees
Strategies to Engage our
Learners
• Avoid “death by PowerPoint”
• Attract attention with audience response
systems
• Hijack social media to extend the
conversation
• Construct knowledge with shared
documents
Twitter:
The Digital Watercooler
• Listen to discussions
• Explore suggested
resources (websites,
Pubmed links)
• Share your own insights
Twitter:
Get an account
A Twitter
conversation:
NG tubes and
upper GI bleed
Twitter: Tips for success
1. Create an account.
2. Post only work-related content.
3. Avoid info overload: Follow only 5 people.
4. Build daily habit of checking Twitter feed.
5. Engagement: After lurking for at least 1
week, respond to a tweet.
6. Organically grow your Twitter network.
Audience Response
Systems (ARS) – Why?
• Engaging
•  Interaction
• In-class checks
• Comprehension
• Assessments –
needs, formative,
and summative
ARS – Why not?
•
•
•
•
Distracting
Learning curve
More technology to fail
Can be over-used
ARS – How?
ARS Tips
• Think pedagogy first!
• Plan ahead
o Pre-test
o Multiple ways to access poll
o Have a back-up plan
• < 3-4 questions/hour
• Allow 1-2 minutes for each question
• Be creative (e.g., individual or team
competition, games, use images instead of
words…)