The digital generation project

Vicki Davis is one of the people involved in the digital generation project. She uses every kind of technologies to make her students learn and to make them share ideas with the world. Google docs, blogs, wikis and even virtual life programs are used to develop students’ knowledge. Her students have to create avatars and create digital citizenship environment by themselves. She customizes the way she teaches according to students’ interest and motivation. She changes her curriculum in order to get as many enriched experiences as possible. Students learn how to learn without the traditional paper/pencil method. 

Empowerment is definitely an important aspect of this project since students must find out and figure out things by themselves. They take in charge their learning by teaching other students about what they have found in their research. They also share their new knowledge on the Digi Teen blog. Students and teachers can share information and ideas about what they have done. It allows students to have new perspectives and possibilities since the world is now accessible to them. The experiences that children have at school can be reinvested since we live in a digital society where online exchanges are made on a daily basis. This way of doing things is really motivating, especially when we know that Davis takes into consideration her students’ interests. It gives a meaningful and useful purpose to this way of teaching.  

Cultural and sociolinguistic factors are now, more than ever, present in our lives. I think it is important for kids to collaborate with other students across the world since it allows them to discover alternative ways of thinking and doing things. The importance of interacting with people in (almost) authentic situations can be realizable thanks to a variety of technologic tools.