Here we are in the 21st century. it's not what Buck Rogers or the Jetsons predicted it to be, but it is certainly different from the world we grew up in. So what is it exactly & what does it mean to be literate in it? What do the children we are serving now need to know and be able to do in a world that changes with the minute?
Current literature says students should be able to understand concepts, think critically, think creatively, and collaborate/communicate with diverse peers.
During the President's address to congress this week we were able to know the thoughts of America instantly through responses on facebook linked to networks like CNN. Amazing. Scarey. I don't have a facebook account because I thought it was only a social thing. I wasn't aware of it's more serious implications. This makes me afraid that I am not "in the know" enough to be an agent of change, or maybe I don't have to be on every new trend, maybe it is enough to teach the skills outlined above and let the learners do the rest. Is that enough? That's my question. What do I need to know to be successful torch bearer for 21st century learning? Suggestions?
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thanks for your honesty janice. i think there are lots of people looking around lately and realizing them that if they don't get on the train, it is about to be so far in the distance they won't know what to do with themselves. technology aside, everyone has experience a time, some would call it panic, when they realize they were in danger of missing out on something that was much more important than they realized.
ReplyDeleteYes a lot has changed --- the world of a child in the 21st century is definitely different than it was 100, 50, or oven 10 years ago. Where once they were just expected to learn the 3Rs (as it was called in the Philippines - Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic), now it's more than the basics. It's scary that children have to learn so much to thrive in our rapid changing, technology-based world.
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