Interest Driven Learning

When we live in a world in which “everything” can be looked up online, what does that mean for instruction?

Today’s students have grown up in a technology driven world. Unlike their parents, who had to adapt to technology, kids spend an average of 7.5 hours a day utilizing electronics (Ethan Dickens). Because learning through this medium involves writing, watching, and doing, I believe that students retain more information than through a standard text book/lecture approach. Trying to get older generations to embrace technology in education has always been difficult and expensive.

“I argue that learning is inextricably linked to our identities and our relationships to others in our communities…” (Mirra, pg. 11). This means that interest driven learning is driven by more than just hobbies, but engages students in ways that help them learn about the world around them and how they fit into it. Also, as teachers if we pay attention to our kids’ technology, it will help us understand youth culture.