Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century

If we teach today’s students as we did yesterday’s, we are robbing them of tomorrow. —John Dewey

Digital media and interactive practices are transforming how people experience teaching and learning. Young people are increasingly immersed in digital media, both at home and in the classroom. What are they doing with these high-tech tools? How can student interest in digital media connect to everyday learning in the classroom? Parents and educators grapple with these questions daily as they work to support today’s youth. 

The PBS documentary Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century highlights innovations in digital media education. The program features interviews with notable experts in the field, who speak to the necessity and value of digital media learning for today’s students. Viewers go inside groundbreaking schools and after-school programs to experience classrooms far different than those of only a few years ago.

Educators unfamiliar with the innovative work of schools like Quest to Learn in New York City or after-school programs like the Digital Youth Network in Chicago will find this documentary both informative and inspiring. As cutting-edge practices become part of mainstream education, our notions of how to teach for learning are breaking free of obsolete models and expanding in exciting and digital directions.

View the full episode or read more about the program online at PBS Programs: Digital Media. Companion resources for the program are available for parents and educators.