Thursday, July 31, 2014

Mining Pew- Third Reading:

‘How do they even do that?’: How Today’s Technology is Shaping Tomorrow’s Students
Lenhart, A. April 9, 2013, ‘How do they even do that?’: How Today’s Technology is Shaping Tomorrow’s Students. Dartmouth College. Presentation retrieved on July 30, 2014, from http://www.pewinternet.org/


This slide share presentation was a look at how technology is and will continue to change the way students learn as well as their learning environment. In this presentation, Amanda Lenhart discusses the ways children’s learning is affected when growing up in a fast developing technological society. A U.S. college student today has lived their whole life surrounded with changes to access to information resources. Changes that Lenhart describes as, “major new technological developments that disrupt our previous communication strategies.”


The following are some of the most thought provoking quotes from the presentation followed by my comments on the topic.

“In 2000, 0% of people connected to internet wirelessly, compared to about 67% who are wireless Internet users since 2012.”

“In the U.S. in 2000, 0% of people used social network sites, compared to 65% who used SNS in 2012.”

Basically these percentage increases show how Americans have changed their form of communication over the years. The change is rapidly occurring and our young generation today,  are those that can expect to be entering a college with a highly advanced technological environment.
I remember growing up and my father telling me I had to become good at working with computers because in the future every job would involve computers some how. I was about twelve years old in the year 2000 where according to these statistics zero people connected to wireless Internet nor used social network sites. I find myself providing more technology experiences for my three year old now as she learns to use my laptop and owns her own tablet. I have high expectations that she will be able to compete in the global society with advanced skills in technology; our new information highway.


“Although headed off to different schools, they had a similar experience of learning their roommate assignment and immediately turning to Facebook to investigate that person,” says Danah Boyd.

This reminded me of my personal use of Facebook, where I use this social networking site to learn about new people I have just met. It’s amazing how many people rely on this source of information to develop relationships with others simply based on the information that is available to them.


“Technology is the classroom.”

This statement above, speaks about the transformation that we have seen in college campuses. This entire course in which I find myself working on this assignment, is online. My entire graduate program will be online as well. Before I began working on my program, I had come across various people with different opinions on the concept of distance learning. So many people had expressed the opinion that online classes would not provide the same educational experience as meeting in person with the professor. I did have my doubts when I began my classes, but after a year of being in the program, I have come to view distance learning in a more positive light. It makes students more self-directed learners and definitely causes them to manage their daily schedule more responsibility. I feel that I have learned so much in this past year and online classes are in no wise a less learning experience for me. On the contrary, I have become more dedicated to my studies because technology has become my classroom.


43 slides (presentation)
To view this presentation go to the following web address:



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