This book examines the effects of "new millennium learners'" attachment to digital media, synthesizing international and comparative analysis of existing empirical research. In particular, it addresses the issues of cognitive development, socialization and identity building, and learning expectations. It then analyzes the emerging policy debates at both the institutional and government levels regarding the most adequate policy and educational interventions to address the challenges these issues present.

An increasing percentage of children born in the developed world grow up in societies where Internet connections, mobile phones, and videogame consoles are readily available. OECD research recently found that in the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, the UK, and Austria, more than 95% of 15-year-olds use a computer connected to the Internet daily while at home. They spend, on average, two hours per day— mostly on activities related to social interactions and the consumption of digital content, sometimes for school-related tasks. This access to digital media is changing the way young learners acquire information, elaborate on and manage knowledge, interact, and participate with their peers and teachers. This book reveals and interprets that change.