Digital Learning Experience Attributes

While preparing for my Summer II Literacy and Technology Class I found a very interesting and powerful article about Digital Students, their learning styles posted by an experienced award-winning blogger, Anastasia Goodstein.In her article Learning Styles 2.0: Digital, Social and Always on, she emphasizes the following attributes of digital learning and learners:

• Interactive. Students expect to pick and use various types of media and create a personalized “mash-up” of content. Students also use social media as a way to express their identity and creativity through creation of user-generated content.
• Student-Centered; Authentic;
• Collaborative.Collaborative work and peer feedback supports motivation by givingstudents a sense of active involvement within the learning community.
• On-Demand. Course content should be made available "on-demand" so the learner can view course materials when, where, and how (PC, mobile or handheld device) theywant to view the content.

These trends in online and lifelong learning are being fueled by changes in the characteristics of student learners and the ways in which they use new technologies to exchange information. One thing is clear: the convergence of social software technologies and a generation of web-savvy learners are rapidly changing the face of education. In light of these socio-cultural changes, educators need to “keep abreast of change” and embrace digital learning styles through curriculum design which integrates the authentic ways that students use social media to collaborate and interact with peers as a means to achieve short and long term learning goals.