Now, let me talk about technology edge. Militon Chen believes that every student needs to have access to the Internet; and eventually every student needs his own personal device. So nowadays, the ipod is used for language learning. Chen said it was hard for him to imagine when he first heard about this. He asked: “The ipod is something that we all use to listen to music, how would people use an ipod for language listening and reading? But the reality is this idea of an audio device can be used with a little microphone to record teachers reading, to record students reading. It's a breakthrough when it comes to teaching reading and writing. If teachers just try to teach kids to read by using a text book; some kids will get there, with support from their families. Chen claims that the figures on some families state some bedrooms of American children have more books than some school libraries. However, the iread project works well with the ipod touch and Internet access where the key breakthrough is teachers can listen to students read, students can listen to each other reed. In addition, when students listen to other students, they can know how they learn, how they think, and how they think about problems. Chen gives us a very vivid example: artists are constantly performing and recording their work, athletes do the same thing. Some of the best ways of learning come from the arts and sports, where its all about performance. In order to improve students performance, usually students have to record themselves performing. The iRead project has done that and is showing remarkable increases in students reading achievements. For instance, kids learn more in 6 weeks than they did in 12 or 18 weeks. This is the acceleration that technology can offer.
Let's move on next point which is today's youth. Chen thinks the biggest edge of today is young people, cause they are carrying the change in their pockets; they have devices, like the ipod touch, that could really accelerate their learning. Chen mentioned Edutopia's digital generation, they are digital learners: Cameron, Naphesa, and Lois are three of them. When people see them learning, inside school, outside school, and online, they're aware that there is a new way of learning these days. Andrew has introduced co-teacher edge, actually pert of the co-teaching edge and young edge is getting students involved in teaching and learning. Kids can help teach younger kids. Like high-school students teaching elementary-school students. Chen said he likes Virginia because she spent hours on facebook and she decided to go on a facebook fast. Shes a religious girl from Georgia and she gavbe up facebookf or lent. Virginia as a middle-school student taught some elementary-school students about Internet safety.