What is the 21st Century Learner? According to video by Nantz it is someone who uses a variety of media to learn - computer and paper. Someone who learns through communicating with others. Someone who learns by doing. Is this so much of a change or shift from when I went to school? 'Back in the day' we might not have had access to computers yet (my brother had an Atari), but I still learned more by doing and engaging in discussion. Today we add that the discussion can be virtual and the research can be done on line.
Digital media has entered into the equation and opened up more to the 21st Century Learner. The world is at our finger tips. Many articles emphasis that it is up to the education system to prepare students for a future in the 'real world' where technology is at the core. That the skills they will need to compete in the 'real world' are problem solving, collaboration, and analysis, skills with word processing, hyper-text, social networking software, etc.
Is the education system as it is now up to this challenge? My short answer - No. Without some changes to our curriculum, I don't think we can achieve this goal. Jenkins in his article on Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media education for the 21st Century states "Media change is affecting every aspect of our contemporary experience, and as a consequence, every school discipline needs to take responsibility for helping students to master the skills and knowledge they need to function in a hypermediated environment." The current curriculum and its focus does not yet take this into account and of course there is the 'teacher' factor and how comfortable that teacher is with technology.
I don't want to end on a down note. Whether the education system is yet ready to teach the 21st Century Learner or not, we are doing it and we are preparing students for the 'real world'. We are teaching them to problem solve, collaborate and analyze. We just need to add the 21 Century literacy into the system on a larger scale.
Well said. Our students are going to face this hyper-media environment whether we do a good job of teaching them to be productive in this society or not. AGH! That's kind of intimidating. Guess we'd better do a good job. Now,...what part of our curriculum are you suggesting we leave off? We really can't do everything we are asked to do, can we?
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