21st Century Learners

Students in today’s society not only want to play games, they want to learn something from the games they play. The 21st century learning is about learning the tools and skills to remake and produce content. Learning outside of school is important for the learning inside of school. Educators need to try to link the outside of school learning to the inside school learning. The 21st century skills are not strictly for the workplace, it is for the future of daily communication. 21st century learning is not about abandoning formal learning, it is about combining formal learning and the use of technology.

This video was created by The Library of Congress in order to show America the skills needed for a rapidly changing global environment. 21st Century learning requires the teaching of content + critical thinking and problem solving skills. This video stressed the importance of the following three elements: what, how, and where. These elements are what educators need to remember when implementing 21st century instruction. We all have to be a teacher and a student, because 21st century learning matters for us all.

This video completed a study and found that nearly two thirds of the nation’s employers thought that HS graduates are deficient in written communication, problem solving, critical thinking, professionalism, and work ethic. Our education system is built for the industrial revolution and our students live in the digital revolution. We need to make our students masters with content, not just masters of content. This video stressed the following three steps: foundation, exploration, and application. We, as educators, need to start with a solid foundation and add exploration of our student’s learning. Educators need to use the content to teach the life-long skills.

The vision for K-12 students is that they will use engaging technologies in collaborative, inquiry-based learning environments with teachers who are willing and able to use technology’s power. Students in today’s world want to use technology to help them learn, create, and analyze information. Students feel that they could use the World Wide Web to research whatever they want, wherever they are, whenever they are there. 21st century students want to be engaged in learning.

Students today feel they are trapped inside a classroom and little of the content they learn is relevant to their life. Students are much more interested in a digital learning environment, rather than a physical learning environment. The majority of the student’s communication is through technology, versus face-to-face communication. With the use of technology, students are becoming more efficient in communication.

The basis of this video is technology is evolving daily, but our student’s education is not evolving nearly that fast. We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist. We need to be preparing them to solve problems that are not yet problems for America. Access to digital communication is easier than ever and we, as Americans, need to keep up with the rest of the world.

Students want to use technology to do everything and they feel that technology is extremely important in their lives. Educators can engage their students by incorporating technology in everything they do. It is important for students to have the desire and drive to learn. Engaging students with technology will help keep them interested in education.

This video explains how technology can help teachers enrich curriculum. Technology gives curriculum rigor, relevance, and provides students with an opportunity to form a relationship with the curriculum. Using technology can help engage students and meet the needs of all types of learners.

Traditional teaching practices have become outdated. Education has to change and teachers have to learn to implement digital learning environments. Students are more globally connected and need to be guided through the information that they are engaged in.

Literacy is evolving and 21st century skills are required in order to be successful in our nation. In the 21st century, it is much easier to reach a global audience than ever before and traditional communication is no longer efficient. This video stressed the point that understanding the tools of 21st century literacy is the key to reaching young students in today’s classrooms.