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

Traditional model of teaching

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.

• Video: The Arcade Experience – see credits below

References and Credits

A Vision of 21^st Century Teachers –

Flash Video – 4:34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4g5M06YyVw

A Few Ideas (Visions of Students Today)

Flash Video – 5:44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrXpitAlva0

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

Flash Video – 4:44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFcJizkZf1U

Social Media and the Creation of Self: Identity Development in Youth

Flash Video – 2:19

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cd0VTn_czk

Arab Spring – Egypt and Social Media

Flash Video – 4:59

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx6hGA1lmsA

Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: iPad, Tablet, Computer, L

Flash Video – 5:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzi2RIt8_nk

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lobostudio/with/6393179375/

»There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.«

Ken Olson,

President/founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977.

Students in The Classroom Image

Ed Tech Rising » The Incomplete Story of Student Clicker Technology

edtechrising.com –

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

Social Media (Facebook) Growth is exponential

Guided Participation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB–FU2JEOc

Active, meaningful and personalized participation.
Image – science@creativecommons
Allison Domicone, November 29th, 2010