Opening Session

"Neomillennial" Learning Styles: From websites to online learning communities

Chris Dede, Professor of Learning Technologies, Harvard Graduate School of Education

From Baby Boomers, to Gen X and Y, every generation develops a learning style shaped by the times they live in. Through his research, Chris Dede, the Timothy E. Wirth Professor of Learning Technologies at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, is helping educators anticipate the challenges and opportunities posed by a growing number of students of all ages with what he terms the “neomillennial” learning style. Chris will present how “neomillennial” learning styles differ from those based on sensory, personality, or intelligence factors.

Based on his research, and that of others in this emerging field of study, Chris will demonstrate and discuss examples addressing “neomillennial” learning style, including online learning communities. Chris will address how digital media is shaping motivations, attributes, and social patterns in today’s learner and how "Neomillennial" learners seek distributed learning situations that interweave face-to-face interactions with communication and shared experiences across distance and time.

About Chris Dede

Chris Dede's funded research includes:

• A grant from the National Science Foundation to aid middle school students learning science via shared virtual environments with digitized museum artifacts
• A grant from the Joyce Foundation to aid the Milwaukee Public Schools in implementing a knowledge portal for teacher professional development
• A grant from Harvard to explore applications of wireless handheld devices in higher education

His membership includes:

• The National Academy of Sciences Committee on Foundations of Educational and Psychological Assessment
• The U.S. Department of Education’s Expert Panel on Technology
• The International Steering Committee for the Second International Technology in Education Study
• The Board of Directors of the Boston Tech Academy, an experimental small high school in the Boston Public School system, funded by the Gates Foundation
• Served as a Senior Program Director at the National Science Foundation (1996-97)

He is currently completing a co-edited volume on Scaling Up Success: Lessons Learned from Technology-based Educational Innovation, to be published by Jossey-Bass in January 2005.