Response to Digital Media* New Learners of the 21st Century Video

Topic 4: Video Response

            The learning program I am focusing on is the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. I think it is interesting that a lot of questions are being raised about cultural institutions and whether they are in sync with the world as it is changing. As discussed in the video, many program directors at museums like the Smithsonian are taking a more critical look at the museums’ programs and asking whether they are relevant and do they show an understanding of young people that would allow this generation to connect with the content. Diana Rhoten, Program Director, Digital Media and Learning, Social Science Research Center stated that in this day and age, the responsibility of libraries, museums, schools, afterschool programs, is to help kids identify their interests and then become more advanced in that interest. I completely agree with her statement. We as educators need to meet students where they are and then be able to provide them with the tools and experiences to advance their interests and understanding so they are prepared for the world they will be entering. I thought the use of a digital scavenger hunt was a great way to get the kids involved in learning the content at the museum. Also, with the digital element of this activity, the kids are learning these 21^st century technology skills, while learning the content information they need. The use of the cell phones makes activities like the museum visit more exciting for the kids which in turn gets them to be more engaged in their learning. Mobile learning also prepares the kids for life outside of the classroom because they are actually out in the world learning. They are not sitting in a classroom with books. With the use of technology, learning is becoming more relevant and useful to the students.  Something that particularly stood out to me in the video was Diana’s comment where she says that “digital media doesn’t mean we have to build a whole new infrastructure, it doesn’t mean you have to digitize all of your content, what it means is, there are now a set of tools out there, many of which are available for free, that you can use to make your assets accessible by a whole new population. They’re learning visual literacy.” Diana’s perspective makes this change to digital learning seem less daunting and more manageable. The tools we need to transform our classrooms are there, we just need to make use of what we already have and start to implement their use a little at a time.