21st Century Leaners

With an introduction by the Library of Congress, this video focuses on how education and learning have changed since the Industrial Revolution. Schools must change to meet the new global, critically thinking students that must prepare for new jobs of the future.

This video was very interesting because it summed up the importance of the home, peer, and community impact on digital learning while also discussing the appropriate times for digital use.

Students edited and surveyed information to see how much time and money they spend on various items such as emails, blogs, sleep, textbooks, computers, etc. The learners of today spend the bulk of their time "connected."

K-12 students of today spend many hours each day/week blogging, surfing the net, using electronic tools, and listening to music or books online; however, most of their classroom time is spend with old, outdated learning. How can education change to improve learning for students?

This video uses the same format as #3-#4 on this list, but it focuses on the elementary learner who is already a digital learner -- blogging, writing online, podcasting. How can teachers keep these learners engaged without changing how classes are taught?

Forms of communication have changed. Learners must now be able problem solve and think critically while dealing with multiple forms of communication (music, text, visual, etc.).

Students spend so much times on digital media (blogs, wikis, phones, tv, games, etc.), so teachers must be willing to teach in new ways to incorporate digital media into the classroom.

Most American students are reaching the work place unprepared in essential skills -- written communication, work ethic, and professionalism. Education must change to include career academics, community work, and use of content to teach skills.

Teaching and education must change in order to reach digital learners.