In only eight years, the campus's Educational Technology Services has become central to Cal’s teaching, research, and public service mission by enhancing classrooms with technology; launching bSpace, an online collaboration and learning environment; and making courses available online for free to everyone.
Instead of disappearing into imaginary forests or backyard forts, today’s youth are disappearing into a virtual world of Facebook, YouTube, video games, and other digital media.
While such activities mystify many adults, a recent study conducted by researchers at Berkeley and the University of Southern California shows that children who use digital media are gaining valuable skills. Starting in 2005, the team interviewed 800 kids and spent more than 5,000 hours observing teens online — making it the most extensive U.S. study on teen use of digital media. While it might look like kids are wasting time, instead they are acquiring technological and social skills they need to thrive in the Internet age.
Funded by the MacArthur Foundation, the Digital Youth Project concludes that youth are:
- Using online networks to extend their friendships and interests
- Increasing their digital literacy skills by navigating new forms of expression
- Sharing creations and receiving feedback as a unique form of self-directed, peer-based learning
Barrie Thorne, professor of gender and women’s studies and sociology and one of the project’s lead researchers, says, “These findings have important implications for education in the 21st century. Rather than blocking kids from online activities — an idea that many parents and educators hold — we can encourage them to use new technologies to connect to their peers and learn.”
