THE

21st century

DIGITAL

LEARNER

This presentation is to educators at every level, all around the world. All of the

teachers are earnestly trying to adapt their educational system to the twenty-

first century. During my talks, however, I typically look out at oceans of white hair. Never -- I can't even say rarely -- is a kid

in sight or invited to the party.

There are some differences in how the skill are categorized or interpreted, there are also many commonalities. Common skills across

most of the studies include:

• Creativity and Innovation• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving• Communication• Collaboration• Information Management• Effective Use of Technology• Career and Life Skills• Cultural Awareness

Creativity and Innovation

Think Creatively* Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming)* Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts)* Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts.Work Creatively with Others* Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectively* Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and feedback into the work* Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real world limits to adopting new ideas* View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of small successes and frequent mistakesImplement Innovations

* Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful contribution to the field in which the innovation will occur

Critical Thinking and Problem

Solving

Reason Effectively* Use various types of reasoning (inductive, deductive, etc.) as appropriate to the situation.Use Systems Thinking* Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce overall outcomes in complex systems.Make Judgments and DecisionsEffectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs* Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view.* Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments.* Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis.* Reflect critically on learning experiences and processesSolve Problems*Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both conventional and innovative ways.* Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better solutions.

Communication

Communication is one of the key components of 21st century learning, yet it has not attracted the same level of research or attention as

creativity, collaboration, or critical thinking. Communication competence involves mediated and digital communication, interpersonal,

written and oral communication. As our society evolves, we cannot assume that our students will gain communication competence on their own. If educators are expected to teach students how to communicate

effectively, researchers need to focus on building a stronger, more empirically grounded framework for teaching these vital skills.

Collaborative assessment must be part of our learning today. We, as educators are doing our students a disservice if we don't attempt to make this type of assessment available to our students. There are few professions and work environments that only focus on individual competencies. Most modern work environments involve some type of collaboration or connected problem solving to enhance their corporation or product. However, the inevitable barriers surface in the form of social and digital media taboos.

Information Management

Accessing, analyzing, synthesizing, creating, and sharing information from multiple sources.

Effective Use of Technology

Creating the capacity to identify and use technology efficiently, effectively and ethically as a tool to access, organize, evaluate and share information.

Career and Life Skills

Developing skills for becoming self-directed, independent learners and workers who can adapt to change, manage project, take responsibility for their work, lead others and produce results.

Developing cultural competence in working with others by recognizing and respecting cultural differences and work with others from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds.

INFORMATION LITERACY* Access and Evaluate Information* Use And Manage InformationMEDIA LITERACY* Analyze Media* Create Media ProductsICT (INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY) LITERACY* Apply Technology Effectively

The21st Century

Teacher

The 21st Century teacher is an adaptor. Harnessed as we are to an assessment focused education model the 21st Century Educator must be able to adapt the curriculum and the requirements to teach to the curriculum in imaginative ways.They must also be able to adapt software and hardware designed for a business model into tools utilizable by a variety of age groups and abilities.They must also be able to adapt to a dynamic teaching experience. When it all goes wrong in the middle of a class, when the technologies fail, the show must go on.As an educator, we must understand and apply different learning styles. we must be able to adapt our teaching style to be inclusive of different modes of learning.

Imagination, a key component of adaptability, is a crucial component of the educator of today and tomorrow. They must see the potential in the emerging tools and web technologies, grasp these and manipulate them to serve their needs. If we look at the technologies we currently see emerging, how many are developed for education?The visionary teacher can look at others ideas and envisage how they would use these in their class.The visionary also looks across the disciplines and through the curricula. They can make links that reinforce and value learning in other areas, and leverage other fields to reinforce their own teaching and the learning of their students.

Ning, Blogger, Wikispaces, Bebo, MSN, MySpace, Second life - as an educator we must be able to leverage these collaborative tools to enhance and captivate our learners. We too, must be collaborators; sharing, contributing, adapting and inventing.

How can you as an educator know all these things? How can you teach them how to use them… There are so many, so much to learn. You must take risks and some times surrender yourself to the students knowledge. Have a vision of what you want and what the technology can achieve, identify the goals and facilitate the learning. Use the strengths of the digital natives to understand and navigate new products, have the students teach each other. The learning pyramid shows that the highest retention of knowledge comes from teaching others. Trust your students.

We expect our students to be life long learners. How many schools have the phrase “life long learners” in there mission statements and objectives. We too must continue to absorb experiences and knowledge. We must endeavour to stay current. I wonder how many people are still using their lesson and unit plans from 5 years ago.In my subject area, Information technology and certainly in many of the sciences, especially the life sciences; knowledge, understanding and technology are fluid and dynamic, they are evolving and changing. To be a teacher here you must change and learn as the horizons and landscape changes.The 21st Century teacher or educator must learn and adapt.

“Anywhere, anytime” learning is a catchphrase we hear often. Usually its paired with “life learner”. To have anywhere anytime learning, the teacher to must be anywhere and anytime. It does not have to be the same teacher, but the 21st Century teacher is a communicator. They are fluent in tools and technologies that enable communication and collaboration. They go beyond learning just how to do it, they also know how to facilitate it, stimulate and control it, moderate and manage it.

We must model the behaviors that we expect from our students. Today and tomorrow more so, there is an expectation that teachers will teach values.We, are often the most consistent part of our student life. Teachers will see the students more often, for longer and more reliably than their parents. This is not a criticism of the parents rather a reflection.The 21st Century educator also models reflective practice, whether its the quiet, personal inspection of their teaching and learning, or through reflective practice via blogs, twitter and other medium, these educators look both inwards and outwards.These teachers also model a number of other characteristics. These are not necessarily associated with ICT or the curriculum, but are of equal importance. They model:* tolerance* acceptance* a wider view than just their curricula areas* global awareness* reflection

Whether they are a champion of the process of ICT integration or the quiet technology coach, the ICT Trainer and a teacher leading by example; A maverick or early adopter (SeeLOTI), the 21st Century Educator is a leader.Leadership, like clear goals and objectives crucial to the success or failure of any project.

RESOURCES

This is the physical and electronic tools and materials available to the teacher in the classroom. A well resourced room or school is considerably higher up the ladder than a low decile school which has to fund raise for a new computer. The availability of tools like:* Interactive whiteboards* Classroom desktop computers* Pods of laptops or one to one programs* PDA’s, iPods and cell phones* Educationally focused software* Learning and content management systems* Video and audio conferencing* Media production facilities* learning spaces for the 21st Century

Coupled with ubiquitous access to resources, high speed internet access, suitable and appropriate communications tools are great enablers. If with this you also have resource materials for teaching and learning, tailored to your curriculum (see also curriculum) then ICT implementation is easier.

But even with a high level of implementation it is not assured. The other two factors, Skills and Curriculum, must be available in equal volumes.

But what of the classroom that struggles with one computer or perhaps has a lab between a school, are they condemned to poor integration. Certainly not, but they are obviously hampered and limited.

Resources are also Professional development and time (see also skills). Time is a precious and limited resource. Time to play and experiment is hard to find when teachers are prescribed a number of non contact periods and management judiciously fills our timetables. In managements defense, they are hamstrung, by the need to teach classes and restrictions in funding beyond there control.

SKILLSkills, I consider fall into two categories; Technical and Pedagogical. Of the two, I believe that pedagogical skills are more important.By Technical skills, I am referring to the ability to operate the resources provided to you. The ability as a 21st Century teacher to adapt, adopt and modify. The confidence and competence to teach and facilitate the use of these technologies.The second category, pedagogical skills, is the more important of the two. Strengths in Pedagogy can and will make up for deficits in technical ability. The classroom teachers ability to use a variety of suitable pedagogical strategies is key to integration. The teacher who sees little value in the use of ICT’s, even if they have high technical ability, will always limit the level of integration. Where as the teacher with a understanding of21st Century pedagogies, who recognises that these technologies are enablers and motivators for our 21st Century learner, is able to use the learner’s own skills and abilities to enhance their learning and the integration of ICT.

CURRICULUM

An integrating curriculum (and drilling down into the integrating curriculum - subjects and unit plans), which support ICT integration are dynamic. The use of ICTs are mandatory and ubiquitous, inclusive and specific. The selection of tools and resources are curriculum driven. These units are constantly reviewed. Teachers and students contribute to the development and revision of the learning experience. They are student centric. Teachers encourage to use digital approachesTeaching drives the technology rather than technology driving the teaching.The curriculum must reflect the world our students will emerge into. Continuing to teach a 20th century curriculum into the 21st century, prepares our students for a world that no longer exists.

http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/21st+Century+Teacher

http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework

http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Facilitating+21st+Centur

y+Learning