Dr. Alec Couros discusses the impact of media and technology on literacy and learning, emphasizing the shift from consuming to creating content. He highlights the significance of participatory culture among young people, stressing the importance of collaboration and critical thinking skills in the digital age. The presentation calls for educators to adapt to these changes by embracing technology and fostering a more personalized and open learning environment.

1. Pondering Media, Literacy, & Learning
in a Connected World
Dr. Alec Couros
Regina Teacher’s Conference
Regina, Saskatchewan
March 8, 2013

2. #regteach

3. me

4. DO N ED
AB AN

5. The Blur

8. personal(ish)

9. One Photograph - Everyday - Online

12. professional(ish)

14. ~2000 participants from
~70 countries

16. change

17. the way we were...

18. Gaming

19. Mobile Gaming

20. Multi-Player Gaming

21. Music Piracy

22. System Upgrade

23. Media Personalization

24. Troubleshooting

25. EdTech

26. “The Complete Interactive Multimedia Encyclopedia”

29. shifts

32. Convergence
Ubiquity

33. significant shifts in media
atoms <---> bits
scarcity <---> abundance
consuming <---> creating
standardization <---> personalization
individuals <---> networks

34. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/24/obama-in-berlin-video-of_n_114771.html

35. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/24/obama-in-berlin-video-of_n_114771.html

36. “72 hours of video are uploaded every minute, or one
hour of video is uploaded to Youtube every second.”
“More video is uploaded to YouTube in one month
that the 3 major US networks created in 60 years.”

42. “Today knowledge is free.
It’s like air, it’s like water...
There’s no competitive
advantage in knowing
more than the person next
to you. The world doesn’t
care what you know. What
the world cares about is
what you can do with what
you know.” (2012)
@drtonywagner

43. influence of technology

45. Poll #1: How many hours of screen
time do you average per week?

46. Poll #2: What percentage of that screen
time is used for engaging in social media?

47. Poll #3: Have you ever ‘creeped’
somebody’s Facebook profile?

48. Children aged 12-15 are spending on average 17.1
hours/week on the Internet (equivalent to their TV time)
Smart phone ownership is at 28% for 12-15 year-olds.
12-15 year-olds are prolific social networkers. 1 in 4
have a Twitter profile, & an average of 286 FB friends.
37% of 3-4 year-olds use the Internet.

49. relationships

50. 130,729 people like this

52. "To immortalize this
moment ... the girl seems to
forget the original pleasure."
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alainbachellier/2572801898/in/photostream/

59. attention & curiosity

63. participatory culture

65. http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/3601144842/sizes/l/in/photostream/

69. How long did it take to film
and edit?
I started in November, but
then I had to start from
scratch a couple months
afterwards, so I spent
months and months on it.
What’s your
background in video
editing?
I just do it for fun. I’m
self-taught.
slide by @gcouros

70. “I made a deal with my students at the start of a video
project this semester, that if they collaboratively wrote
an entire script and filmed it that I would do by best to
share out their final product.... I believe they have
created something amazing due to their passion and
determination to have their voice heard.”

72. identity

73. “The average digital birth of children
happens at about 6 months.”
“In Canada, US, UK, France Italy,
Germany & Spain ... 81% of children
under the age of two have some kind
of digital profile or footprint.”

74. Easily Copied Instantly Shared
Easily Edited Viewable by Millions

75. PRIVATE by DEFAULT
PUBLIC with EFFORT

80. Teaching Resilience

83. literacy

84. Children and young people are described as ‘the
collaboration generation’, eager to work together
towards common goals, share content and draw upon
“the power of mass collaboration”. This combination of
individualisation and collaboration is often presented
as giving young people a propensity to question,
challenge and critique. These are individuals who
“typically can’t imagine a life where citizens didn’t
have the tools to constantly think critically, exchange
views, challenge, authenticate, verify, or debunk.
The Digital Native - Myth & Reality, Selwyn (2009)

85. Look At This Savvy Kid!

86. zOMG, Look at the Learning!

87. Salad is Amazing!

88. “... age is not a determining factor in students’
digital lives; rather, their familiarity and
experience using ICTs is more relevant.”
“... the notion of ‘digital natives’ is inaccurate:
those with such attributes are effectively a
digital elite. Instead of a new net generation
growing up to replace an older analogue
generation, there is a deepening digital
divide ... characterized not by age but by
access and opportunity.”

90. 21st Century Readers/Writers Must ...
• Develop proficiency with the tools of technology.
• Build relationships with others to pose & solve problems
collaboratively and cross culturally.
• Design and share information for global communities to
meet a variety of purposes.
• Manage, analyze, & synthesize multiple streams of
simultaneous information.
• Create, critique, and analyze multimedia texts.
• Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these
complex environments.
NCTE Framework for 21st Century Curriulum & Assessment (2007)

92. places to start

93. 1
Embrace & Model New Tools of Connectivity

94. shifts in edtech Group growth
Individual growth
Objectivism
Cognitivism
Constructivism
(Leinonen) (Schwier) Social Learning

96. start with 1 tool

98. 2
Connect & Learn Via Social Networks

99. 21st Century Learning Networks

100. 21st Century Learning Networks

105. Returning Fall 2013 - eci831.ca

106. 3
Participate Through Emerging Forms of Expression

107. 1
Consume, Create, Remix & Share

112. 4
Be (Appropriately) Open

119. original slide by George Couros
“Martha shows every facet of great learning: real world
change, making the environment around her better,
sharing her thinking with the world, having a conscious
for the world beyond her immediate horizons, and
robustness in the face of incredible media and social
media pressure.” (McIntosh, 2012)

121. conclusion

122. “Some of the comments on
Youtube make you weep for the
future of humanity, just for the
spelling alone, never mind the
obscenity and naked hatred.”
@leverus
(Lev Grossman)

133. humanize
NOT
industrialize

134. personalize
NOT
standardize

135. Private Public
Closed Open

137. thank you

138. Don’t limit a child to your
own learning, for he was born
in another time. ~Tagore
http://couros.ca
couros@gmail.com
@courosa