Eureka 2013 Conference – 21ST. Century Learning – Presentation Notes

by Luciano Lista February 18, 2013

Opening thought — Our first 21^st. Century generation of students will graduate in a year or so.

Image: © Copyright Duncan Grey and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xa98cyRw

Today`s students love to learn, play, create, and socialize at a rapid and ever evolving pace because they have at their disposals technological tools:

Laptops
Clickers
Cell Phones
Tablets
Portable Gaming Devices
Social Media
and all other forms of digitally enhanced interactivity
- Image:
  Ed Tech Rising » The Incomplete Story of Student Clicker Technology edtechrising.com

Our students are called Digital Native, Digital Citizen or 21^st. Century Learner. The important realization is that today’s student learns, interacts, socializes and mobilizes in ways that are truly transformational and differ greatly from the pre Web 2.0 generation.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lobostudio/with/6393179375/#photo_6393179375

Growth of social media usage has been exponential

Chart – http://www.benphoster.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Facebook-User-Growth-Chart.png

Before the appearance of Facebook (20013) the role of the Internet then was that of information gathering and the user main function was that of searching for information. This was called Web 1.0.

After the advent of Facebook and other social media applications revolutionized the way in which users interacted with the Internet. The user moved from a passive role to an active role of creator, remixer, and collaborator.

Video – Social Media in the 21^st Century – (see credits below)

Today we no longer refer to the Internet as the “Information Superhighway“. We could, more appropriately, define it as an international, multicultural, multilingual sharing forum where information and ideas are shared and remixed.

This has brought a new dimension not only in society in general but in education as a whole.

Today’s students experience learning outside of traditional written, oral, and teacher centric methodologies.

There are many strategies in which to bring the experience of students in the classroom at par with what they experience in the world outside. One strategy is “Guided Participation`

Reference – 2009 – Pedagogy and the Human Sciences – Michael F. Mascolo
Beyond student-centered and teacher-centered pedagogy: Teaching and learning as guided participation.
Video: http://www.academia.edu

The 20^th Century model of the classroom is no longer effective. As new technologies are developed at an increasingly fast pace, the roll out of hardware and software as it happened in the 20^th Century can no longer be sustained due to high costs, rapid obsolescence of technology, and other factors.

Possible solutions include: Bring your own device, the connected classroom, portable net book carts (labs).

Images 20^th vs. 21^st Century classrooms – see credits below
Video – The connected Classroom – see credits below

Did most of our first generation of 21st Century students attend 21st. Century classes…..??

Teaching/learning strategies need to evolve. We are in the 21^st Century but many of our classrooms are still not relevant within this context!

Video – Vision of K-12 Students Today – see credits below

The promotion of 21^st Century learning is not based on using technology as a teaching tool but adapting the classroom experience to be a student centric space. We (educators and learners) need to embrace the students’ ability to use technology to enhance their learning experience.

The classroom teacher must provide authentic opportunities for students to be active participants in their learning experience

The teacher, while meeting curriculum expectations and guidelines, must engage students to share their voice and grow in their learning through active, meaningful and personalized participation.

Image – Allison Domicone, November 29th, 2010 – Ref: Science@creativecommons by Creative Commons / CC BY

Our students today are to mobile learners who use their technological tools to learn and apply their knowledge. Kids want to be: Producers, Creators, Teachers, Show-people and Re-mixers

Image – Rachel teaches at iPad Media Camp – Rachel was demonstrating the iPad app “Puppet Pals HD Directors Pass” in this photo: itunes.apple.com/us/app/puppet-pals-hd-directors-pass/id4…
Rachel is using an interactive white board and a document camera – technology tools of the 21^st. Century

21^st Century learning is not married to technology but rather the principle of engaging students within the 4Cs: Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity and Communication.

Student Centric, Technologically enabled s ample activity: Use a cell phone in a science lab to capture images, videos, and text during the observations phases of an experiment. Report the findings using a digital presentation (maybe post a video on YouTube) and allow others to collaborate and comment afterwards.

Exploring briefly the Flipped Classroom idea

Activity	Time
Warm-up activity	5 min
Take up homework	10-20 min
Lesson on new content	20-35 min
*Guided and independent practice and/or lab activity*	10-25 min
Closing & Wrap Up	10-20 min

Traditional model of teaching

Activity	Time
Warm-up activity	5 min
Podcast or video (pre-recorded by teacher and posted on blog or classroom website) with “how to” strategies and step-by-step solutions to problems– students can revisit this video or podcast anytime	10 min
*Guided and Independent practice and/or lab activity*	25-45 min
Closing & Wrap Up	10-20 min

Flipped Model of Teaching

Project based learning moves away from the teacher and lives within the experience of students “doing.” The teacher’s role shifts from a lecturer to that of facilitator of learning and co-learner.

This sustains and promotes a learning environment that is interactive, enthusiastic, and authentic.

The teacher is able to set up meaningful learning experiences which extend outside off the traditional classroom milieu.

Image source: The teacher as facilitator – http://www.flickr.com/photos/84435290@N00/with/8203963355/

Traditional methods and pedagogies need not to be abandoned. 21^st. promotes a balanced approach between teacher intervention and student response and experiences.

The goal then becomes o engage students in ways that provide and nurture meaningful activity. The students live in a 21^st Century world and it is time for the classroom to be living in current time as well.