The document summarizes research on how students at BCIT interact with peers outside of class for course-related purposes and how information and communication technologies (ICTs) affect this. Key findings include: 1) Students used a limited set of familiar communication channels like Facebook, email, texting to interact with peers, driven more by convenience than their status as "digital natives". 2) ICTs were not the primary reason for peer interactions, which were motivated more by seeking practical solutions to course issues. 3) Student use of ICTs did not necessarily reflect characteristics of "digital learner" profiles and was not deeply tied to their age as "net generation" learners.

1. THE DIGITAL LEARNER AT BCIT: THE MYTH AND THE REALITY Adnan Qayyum, Mark Bullen, Tannis Morgan, Karen Belfer

4. Digital Learner Assumptions Assumption Evidence? Use digital technologies extensively Yes Exposure creates sophisticated users No Use changes learning approaches, even the brain No Need to change the way we teach Maybe, but for different reasons

5. The Literature Authors Comments Oblinger & Oblinger (2005). Educating the Net Generation Uneven Howe & Strauss (2000). Millenials Rising 200 school teachers, 660 students -Fairfax county Prensky(2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part 1 & 2 Informed speculation Seely Brown (2000). Growing Up Digital Anecdotal observations of 15 yr olds working in Xerox Lab Turkle (1995). Life on The Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet 1995 Frand (2000). The information-age Mindset Informed speculation

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