I don't know about you, but I first saw the Kony12 Video on my smart-phone in the middle of the night while rocking my baby daughter to sleep. I found it somewhat by accident but couldn't stop watching the 30minute video until it finished. The charity behind the Kony12 viral video, Invisible Children, have said the content was written at a target literacy level for elementary School kids. Obviously the Kony12 video, now the fastest growing viral phenomenon in history has got the attention of children, youth and adults and has been very effective in getting it's message, as simplistic as it is, to it's audience.
Your average adult learner doing an online course is probably 'smarter than a fifth grader', but their ability to process information in a digital format may not be. We need to simplify our content 'to a point' that it can be consumed in the context of;
- Multi-Tasking
- Mobile Devices
- Competing Priorities
This is not to suggest we "dumb-down" learning experiences or content but rather 'thumb-down' content ie. offer readily consumable content for Digital Environments with gateways to deeper knowledge. Sure the Kony12 video doesn't tell the whole story or explain the complexities behind all the big issues, but having the big picture spelled out so elegantly I was motivated to find out more. So let's present our learners with the big picture and engage them with readily consumable content but also provide access to deeper learning and utilise the power of social/shared and open content.
