Had a chance to hear new media guru Henry Jenkins from MIT in Boston, who was on campus this week. Jenkins says multi-tasking is common among the teen generation and sees their willingness to play as a form of problem solving. He regards creativity as form of mash-up: “Appropriation is the ability to sample and remix media meaningfully.” Jenkins outlined skills that students need to learn: Networking is the ability to search for, synthesise and spread information, he says. Collective intelligence consists of the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others towards a common goal. Through exploration, youth are able to play with different identities. Social norms online are less likely to encumber that process, he says, while pointing out that kids need to be protected and encouraged online. “We don’t need adults snooping over shoulders, we need adults watching kids’ backs.”