“
But most of the Facebooking teens I met among the 1,280 students here are also infinitely more international-minded, flexible and tech-savvy than we were 20 years ago. They can study for a math test whilst IMing and listening to music; they take piano tutorials on YouTube and battle monsters in virtual games with virtual friends from all over the world. They share everything, from their latest break-up to prized study notes.
…
I witnessed an impressive capacity for self-directed learning. Arne Thate, 18, got bored with his classical piano lessons so he started teaching himself pop songs with YouTube tutorials (Praise You by Fat Boy Slim is a favorite.) Marcel Sievers, a 14-year-old fan of computer games, taught himself Camtasia, a screencasting software. Many more are members of interest-driven groups on Facebook with peers in far-flung places whom they have never met.
…
At my old school I was struck by how much teenagers have changed. But I was also struck by how little the school had changed, and I don’t think it’s an exception. Teachers are right to fret about attention deficits and lazy thinking. But no fundamental rethink seems to have occurred about how teaching and learning should take place in the age of social networking.
“The problem is with adults,” says Leo.“If they say we’re becoming more stupid, it’s perhaps because we’re in a school system they invented.”
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– Generation FB in the NY Times
