A friend at BECTA recently drew my attention to Learning from Digital Natives, a research project report recently produced by The Higher Education Academy. It offers a useful insight into how Web 2.0 or “social technologies” can benefit learning. One of the most intriguing recommendations is to “build a campus culture rich in social networking opportunities”. It got me thinking: smart-libraries that can recommend books to students; or a smart-bar in the students union that knows when you have had enough…!

This research was focussed on HE. It would be great to see a comparative study in secondary or primary schools. I’m not sure there are many teachers currently using Bebo or MySpace as an aid to learning but this paper clearly shows that there are benefits in doing so.

The report concludes:

“What we have learnt from our ‘digital natives’ in this study is that new e-tools and technologies afford processes with an informal focus on self-direction, communities of practice, collaboration, sharing and even identity exploration.

These young, and old, adults are active constructors of knowledge and are self motivated. These are skills we desire in our graduates and this provides a compelling argument to bring these skills and supporting technologies together…”

Today we’ve been discussing a great idea for a Seven Up! style web-tv series following a group of kids through the current curriculum reforms. There’s just one problem: how do you capture the authentic experiences that provide the essential insight and interest you need, while at the same time protecting the identities of the schools, the teachers, and above all, the kids themselves? Many school uniforms alone are emblazoned with the name of the school, before anyone even opens their mouth.

Overcoming issues of security is one of the constant challenges faced by those of us in the business of developing innovative online learning. The greatest ideas can only see the light of day where there’s no possibility of compromising the online safety of children and young people. So big congratulations are in order to colleagues in Twofour Digital for the new MyCBBC site (MyCBBC), which went live this month. It’s one of the first completely safe social networking sites for under-12s, avoiding the need for free texting, or the exchange of personal data, by providing a wide range of menu-based choices. And anyone’s welcome to register – so long as you’re 12 or under!

Also, I recommend reading Richard Deverell’s post on MyCBBC here.