This morning I again had the pleasure of listening to library guru Michael Stephens. It's always nice if new learning and real life match up, but seldom does it happen quite as neatly as it did for me today.
The session was over at lunch time, and I stopped at Boston Market before heading back to the office, which is about 45 minutes away. I say that to tell you that I was out of my stomping grounds.
I ordered a chicken pot pie and water. They gave me a clear cup for the water, and I expected the usual fountain where you push the little lever next to the lemonade for water. Instead I found this Jetson-like contraption.
I'll have to admit I was totally at a loss. The big circle button said push, so I did. Ice came out. So far, so good. I had no idea what to do next, so I pushed the silver lever and got a cup full of some sort of soda. I sheepishly sat down, drank my stolen Diet Dr. Pepper, and proceeded to watch everyone else get drinks.
Either I'm slow or everyone else is a regular because no one else seemed quite so baffled as I was. They knew that the top panel is a touch screen (ooh, cool!) and that there are literally 106 choices of drinks.
My favorite moment came when a group of middle school-aged boys came in. They clearly had never seen the machine either, but they did something very different than I had done. They didn't mind looking like they didn't know what was going on. They experimented. They played. They touched the screen repeatedly and went back and forward many times. They didn't fill their extra-large cups with just one type of soda. Oh, no. They got suicides!
It dawned on me that the middle school boys and I were illustrating Michael Stephens' points on how the library should embrace 21st century learning. With apologies to Dr. Stephens because I won't do his presentation justice, the following are a few connections:
Michael Stephens on today's learners:
- For them, it's not technology, it's the way things are
- They are team-oriented and social
- They are curious
- Play = learning
- It's ok to make mistakes
- It's technology to me, but not to these digtal natives
- I was embarrassed to ask anyone; they approached the machine together
- I didn't want to look stupid; they were curious
- I was getting a drink; they made a game of getting a beverage
- I was hesitant to make a mistake; they had no such qualms
- Break down barriers
- Explore play
- Know it's ok to fail
- Involve kids
- Encourage the heart
- Be human
- Embrace change
Perfect analogy and you made it so simple!
ReplyDeleteSue Fitzgerald