A major foundation announced that it will provide $50-million over the next five years to universities and nonprofit organizations to learn how youngsters use technology. The project’s goal is to find better ways of incorporating technology into teaching.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has already begun doling out grants, which have gone to institutions such as Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"This is the first generation of students growing up digital," says Jonathan F. Fanton, president of the foundation. "The idea is to learn how young people are using technologies of all kinds."
Most of the research will focus on teaching elementary and secondary public-school students, Mr. Fanton says. But colleges and universities will play a big part in developing the techniques for teaching them. Money will also be given to nonprofit organizations that are setting up after-school programs to teach children how to use technology.
Henry Jenkins, director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has won two grants, totaling $2.3-million. He says he plans to use the money to develop methods of teaching digital-media literacy to students.
"Media literacy right now is treated as an added-on subject," Mr. Jenkins says. "We want to say, No, it’s a paradigm shift."
Most teachers do not know how to incorporate digital media into their curriculum or how to evaluate it effectively, he says. His goal is to give teachers a better understanding of the technology.
For example, scientists today use simulation tools for research and presentations. Students should be able to take advantage of similar tools to learn about science and to turn in their own assignments, he says.
By Dan Carnevale
This article was taken from the Chronicle of Higher Education