21st Century LearningBy: Sofia Rehman

Imagine it is the year 2053…• What does the world look like?• How do relationships, social life, culture,

communication, family life look?• What does the classroom look like?

How would past theorists make of the future of education?

• Baldwin: would agree that 21st century learning must include the ideals of Brown vs. Board of Ed. To ensure including all students regardless of race/socioeconomic background

• Delpit: would acknowledge that this learning can be personalized to students and relate to particular student interest

• Ravitch: has said herself that we learn more from TV than we do from textbooks

• Hirsch: would concur that students have the ability to gain more knowledge: being able to google is no substitute for true understanding. We should teach and encourage iKids to become truly global citizens

• Dewey: relate with the idea that we cannot focus on drills, but rather skills that are individualized for student’s strengths

• We cannot deny that as the 21st century progresses, the lives of the current and future generations are becoming more and more exposed and focused on the use and reliance of technology.

What is 21st Century Learning?• “The term ‘21st-century skill’ is generally used

to refer to certain core competencies such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving that advocates believe schools need to teach to help students thrive in today's world. In a broader sense, however, the idea of what learning in the 21st century should look like is open to interpretation—and controversy.”

• Here are the opinions of current educational theorists on the subject. It’s interesting to read what some of them have to say and compare them to some the theorists and ideas we have read about in this class so far.

• Regardless of what our individual opinions are, we must acknowledge students today think differently than we, or past generations do. Their minds work in a new way.

• Prensky brings up how “Digital Immigrants” are faced with the problem of teaching “Digital Natives”

• As teachers, we must find a way to fuse teaching both “Legacy and Future content”

• We must find ways to engage students to learn about old and new subject matter in the language they know best

If we do open our minds and our teaching strategies to engage current students (as

Prensky says we must), how will we implement them in the classroom?

• Tony Wagner lists the skills our classrooms should incorporate in his book, The Global Achievement Gap. They include:

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence Agility and Adaptability Initiative and Entrepreneurialism Effective Oral and Written Communication Accessing and Analyzing InformationCuriosity and Imagination

20th Century Classroom

21st Century Classroom

Time based Outcome based

Focus: memorization of detached facts

Focus: what students know and can do

Textbook driven Research-driven

Passive Learning Active Learning

Students more isolated: work only in classroom

Learners work collaboratively with peers and others around the world: Global Classroom

Teacher Centered Student Centered

Little/No student freedom A lot of student freedom

Curriculum is irrelevant/meaningless to students

Integrated and interdisciplinary curriculum

Print is primary tool for knowledge and assessment

Multiple forms of media are used for learning and assessment

Diversity in students is ignored Curriculum and instruction address and implement student diversity

Literacy is the three R’s: reading, writing, arithmetic

Multiple literacies of 21st century: related to living and working in a new millennium

Different Organizations are Focused on Creating and Implementing 21st Century Learning…

• P21 : “Developing a vision for student success in the new global economy”

• NCT: National Council of Teachers of English• Created framework and definitions of

21st Century Literacies

• IRA: International Reading Association• Position Statement expresses the value of

being proficient in 21st Century Learning

The Controversy with the new Technology Wave

• How can we address issues like:• Using phones or computers to cheat on exams• Sexting• Cyber Bullying

• Reading books, newspapers, and other paper literature and keeping these materials in schools

Fun ways we can engage our students today…

• Digital Books/Trailers!• Using iPads in the classroom

(there’s an App for that)• Interactive powerpoints, emails, discussion

forums• Dr. Michael Wesch

discusses the beauty, power, and resourcefulness of YouTube where we can learn and teach almost anything

The MacArthur Foundation supports creative individuals and institutions dedicated to building a more peaceful world.They also work on understanding how technology affects children and our society

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xa98cy-Rw

• Each of us is currently using 21st Century learning and practices simply by being an activ member of an online class.

• Imagine how our schedules and lives would be affected had we taken this class in the classroom 15 or even 10 years ago.

• Life is changing, technology is spreading, take advantage of it for the benefit of the futures of our students

ReferencesDigital booktalk. (2002-2012). Informally published manuscript, Florida Gulf Coast University, Retrieved from http://digitalbooktalk.com/?page_id=6

How do you define 21st century learning?. (2010, October 11). Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01panel.h04.html

Macarthur foundation. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.macfound.org/ about/

New literacies and 21st-century technologies. (2009). Retrieved from http:// www.reading.org/General/AboutIRA/PositionStatements/ 21stCenturyLiteracies.aspx

Partnership for 21st century skills. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants.On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky - Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants - Part1.pdf

The ncte definition of 21st century literacies. (2013, February 11). Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition

What is 21st century education?. (2008, August). Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/what_is_21st_century_education.htm