Teaching the Digital Generation

This site is about designing learning environments for the 21st Century high school. It’s based on the soon to be released book Teaching the Digital Generation: No More Cookie Cutter High Schools by Frank Kelly, Ted McCain, and Ian Jukes. (Corwin Press, 2008)

The book examines the traditional assumptions behind school design (TTWWADI - that's the way we've always done it) and considers why TTWWADI will not work in the New Digital Landscape. It then examines the traditional industrial age high school and assesses its characteristics using a graphics equalizer with 20 measures:

Focus on teaching versus learning?
Focus on group versus individual teaching and learning?
Focus on traditional teaching versus digital learning
Focus on traditional versus 21st-century thinking skills
Assessment
Learning focus
Instructional organization
Application of learning
Responsibility for learning
Time related to school year
Time related to school day
Student support structures
Student learning spaces
Spatial flexibility
Scalability of school size
Course offerings
Extracurricular activities
Costs - staff
Costs - facilities

The book then examines 10 models for high school design that explore varied combinations of instruction, technology, time, architecture and costs.  These model schools include:

Academies
Instructional Centers
Academic Focus
Learning labs
Self-directed Learning
Tlme - Less + More schools
Individualized Instruction schools
Cyber schools now and in the future
Diverse Learning Communities on a Campus
Diverse High Schools in a District

Each of these differentiated models is examined relative to these same 20 elements and illustrated via a graphic equalizer. Questions conclude the description of each model asking the reader to reflect on their own school relative to the teaching and learning environment delineated. If you have any questions or concerns please be sure to contact us.

What’s New for June?

This is still a work in progress. There’s lots of stuff to be uploaded in the next few days. But so far:

Twenty new blog entries

Two new presentation descriptions - Into Tomorrow: the Extreme Future and Literacy Isn’t Enough (handouts to follow).

I’ve uploaded the updated Digital Diet.

Two updated handouts about 21st Century Fluency.

An update of the Understanding Digital Kids handout.

Several new and updated presentation descriptions.

A number of the more popular handouts have been extensively updated.

Several new recommended readings.

Two new educational  videos and podcasts.