One of the biggest differences I see with our young people and my generation is a need to interact in their world.  Participation is key to the millenial generation.  I know, this is a generalization, but humour me.

Case in point.  As a young boy, I remember watching hockey on TV with my brother and dad.  Our participation was passive – we watched! Last night my stepson came up the stairs midway through the Eagles-Cards NFL game, carrying his laptop, and sat down in front of the TV.  As I watched, he proceeded to continue to watch while he interfaced with an on-line game linked with the game in progress on the TV. Seems he was participating in the game by “calling the plays” in advance and trying to win a game running parallel to, and dependent on, the game being played.

You see, our kids are not wired to be consumers.  In their world, their experiences, their narrative, they are always able to participate in someway. They are not willing to be simply consumers.  They yearn to produce, to tell their stories.

What does this mean for education?  What opportunities are we providing for our students to participate, to interact with and, yes, even create the curriculum? How can we continue to accept learning environments where everyone is “watching” the same game, without an opportunity to produce and interact with their own learning environment?

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