21st Century Learning

a short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University.

This video was innovative and showed a correlation between the class that was highlighted and the discussion of what will create engaging learning for today's students. I especially was moved by the time that is expected for a student to study, read, and prepare for a class in contrast to what they actually do; such as, texting, blogging, watching t.v., gaming, and utilizing social networking. What an eye-opener!

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Pupils from Robin Hood primary school, Birmingham, worked with a film crew from the National College for School Leadership to express their desire to use their favorite technologies for learning in school.

This video was a message from children to the world about their wants, desires, and motivation to produce quality work in the educational setting today. They are not the learners of the past, but they are learners that expect their peers, teachers, and the world to keep apace with the technological advancements so to inspire, engage, and allow for creativity.

In a world changing faster than the technology that fuels it, education too must change. We know our students need skills to be competitive in the 21st century, but what do we do to get them there. Watch.

I was intrigued with the idea of building a solid foundation with our learners by giving direction, exploration with media, creating opportunities, and then expecting the application of these items to produce an educational change. The slides that prompted proficiencies in project based learning was something that I am trying to implement in my classroom so that my students can become more independent in their learning and can become more responsible for their own learning.

Video about the need to change pedagogy to meet the needs and expectations of 21st century learners. - created at http://animoto.com

This video was a direct comparison to the past classroom expectations and to the expected curriculum of today. With traditional education being labeled as outdated and defunct, the understanding of our digital generation can only lead to the preparation of teachers to better handle a learning environment that will allow students to thrive. Students are tech savvy; utilizing blogging, collaborative learning, and creative project based learning in the classroom. Teaching has to change for our learners to remain interested in the information, and to be able to compete with our global environment through technology.

TeacherTube is an educator and student friendly site for sharing the best content including educational videos, docs, audios and photos for your classroom, staff, and campus.

How do we get students to create? learn? engage? These questions were addressed in a manner that is controversial. We are not teaching to produce test takers, and passing criteria that is antiquated in it's delivery. We must collaborate, discuss, explore and allow for rigor, relevance, and the connection between all of the curriculum and the imagination of the learner. Use what the students are proficient in: IPods, cell phones, podcasts, wikis, blogging, and anything that is fast, effective, and will create a relationship with the student and the desire to interact with a technological base. Again, it is not about the "passing", it is about the learning!

An introduction to 21st century literacy...

I felt that the impetus of this video was mostly about the fluency of all technology in showing literacy with all avenues of the educational system. Students should be expected to decode, utilize critical thinking, problem solving, and to self-direct their learning. This can be done through the change of the educational system by expectation and modeling of learning styles that the students can engage without fear of reprisal. Teachers must be fluent with techniques and opportunities for the students to be engaged, and they must show this through all mediums of learning; speaking, writing, and the demonstration of all avenues of advances in communication.

From cell phone and video games to Facebook and YouTube, digital media are changing the way young people play and socialize in the 21st century. Learn more at http://www.macfound.org/programs/learning. The MacArthur Foundation's grantmaking aims to determine how digital media are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life.

Embrace Change! This was not a video that was new in concept, yet, it was appropriate to the issue. Using the technology of today to create a learning environment that will engage learners is right in front of our face... we just have to embrace this alternate learning styles so that the students can advance to the level of global learners around the world. Utilize the "gaming disposition" which is incredibly simple: "If I am not learning, then it is not fun". The use of learning tools that involves media, community, and digital technology is exciting and allows today's student to interact and communicate with like learners. To obtain the full range of experiences for learning, we must create an atmosphere of engagement in a venue that is proven to the student. Kids get it, why can't we?

This project was created to inspire teachers to use technology in engaging ways to help students develop higher level thinking skills. Equally important, it serves to motivate district level leaders to provide teachers with the tools and training to do so.

This was so similar to the first one that I critiqued, I was tempted to put it higher. I realized it was not as sophisticated as the first one, and the message was an illustrated portrayal of student's desires, habits, and inclinations. The mentioning of email, gaming, computer use and other popular social media was a listing of their favorites for engagement. I felt that the inclusion of the digital storytelling was an interesting touch, with the possibility of students using that across the curriculum for all subject areas. I liked the mantra of "Teach me to think, create, analyze, and apply" as this is what we want from our learners, isn't it?

"21st Century Learning Matters" - The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources - Colorado project at Metro State College of Denver, in partnership with the Colorado Council on 21st Century Learning, produced the video. "21st Century Learning Matters" provides an introduction and conversation starter for considering the transformations needed in education.

This was probably my least favorite example of the 21st learner as I felt that it was dry in presentation, and did not inspire me to want to connect with the message. The what? how? and where? concept for teaching students to think independently was adequate, but we have been pushing the learners to think outside the box in many ways, and I felt it limited it's scope in exact methods to use. It was a message of gloom to me, with the concept of our 3 R's disappearing from our educational system, but it did relate the idea that learning can occur anywhere, and it did discuss the cyberspace opportunities of today's learners. For the rigor to be present, we must make everything relevant to the learner. This was the one most important idea that I took from this video, as it was the crux of this assignment.