Submitted By: Cynthia D. Bentulan

Submitted To: Ms. Maria Estela Teo-Balbuena

The term “21st century” has become the central part of educational thinking and planning for the future. Administrators and teachers are actively searching for ways to prepare students for the future, and the educational system has been evolving faster than ever before.

Creating a 21st century education system is about making sure that all students are prepared to succeed in a competitive world, a world with plenty of opportunities for highly skilled individuals and limited options for everyone else.

Instruction should be student-centered

Our world is changing, and in order to prepare our children for this new world we need to change the way we educate them.

In the 21st century educators must create a curriculum that will help students connect with the world and understand the issues that our world faces.

In the education world, the term student- centered classroom is one we hear a lot. And many educators would agree that when it comes to 21st-century learning, having a student-centered classroom is certainly a best practice.

In student-centered classrooms, students are directly involved and invested in the discovery of their own knowledge. Through collaboration and cooperation with others, students engage in experiential learning that is authentic, holistic, and challenging

In a student-centered classroom, students are very much a part of constructing their own learning in a holistic environment that capitalizes on student interests. • The students are encouraged to reflect on their own learning, share their insights with their peers, and apply new learning to real-life, authentic experiences. When learners are the focus, they become fully engaged in the process.

I believe that the student-centered learning environment enables an educator to deal effectively with all types of students in the same classroom. • A student-centered learning environment encourages students to become independent learners and ultimately to be in charge of their own education.

Education should be collaborative

Collaborative learning is a method of teaching and learning in which students team together to explore a significant question or create a meaningful project. A group of students discussing a lecture or students from different schools working together over the Internet on a shared assignment are both examples of collaborative learning.

One of the most critical skills for these individuals who are involved in providing inclusive education is collaboration. Through collaboration, ideas can be shared, new and better strategies can be developed, problems can be solved, students’ progresses can be better monitored, and their outcomes are evaluated effectively. True collaboration will enhance an effective inclusive education and will be beneficial for all the individuals involved in the child’s education including parents.

Learning should have context

The more closely we inspect this model of teaching and testing, the more problematic it reveals itself to be. First, there’s the question of what students are made to learn, which often is more oriented to factual material than to a deep understanding of ideas.

Second, there’s the question of how students are taught, with a focus on passive absorption: listening to lectures, reading summaries in textbooks, and rehearsing material immediately before being required to cough it back up. Third, there’s the question of why a student has learned something: Knowledge is less likely to be retained if it has been acquired so that one will perform well on a test, as opposed to learning in the context of pursuing projects and solving problems that are personally meaningful.

(Alfie Kohn)

The Role Of Technology in 21st Century Learning

Technology allows for 24/7 access to information

Constant social interaction, and

Easily created and shared digital content.

Functions of Educational Technology

Improvement of Teaching: Educational Technology analyses the process of

teaching thoroughly. It tries to find out the different variables of teaching, their interlinks, effects upon each other, relationships, theories of teaching, phases of teaching principles of teaching, maxims of teaching etc. By developing the theories of teaching, it helps in improving the quality of education.

Analysis of the Teaching-Learning Process: Educational Technology aims at

analysing the process of teaching-learning thoroughly. It tries to find out the different variables of teaching their interlinks effects upon each other, relationship etc.

It is also concerned with various phases of teaching. The principles of teaching and the maxims of teaching are also analysed by it. Over all, it tries to establish better and better relationship between teaching and learning.

Improvement of Learning: Educational Technology analyses the

process of learning and the related theories. It facilitates more and more of learning in less time. It takes the help of various empirically established generalizations from psychology, sociology, physical sciences, engineering etc.

Fixing up Goals of Education:

The objectives of education are being reviewed and revised with the passage of time. Educational technology helps in finding out the right objectives. Everything in this universe is undergoing tremendous changes and with a very fast speed.

Training to Teachers: The changed type of environment with new

curriculum and new materials is to be handled by the teachers. The teachers equipped with old strategies and methodologies of teaching will remain misfits.

Right type of training to the teachers is the need of the hour. Educational Technology can render its valuable help in the training of teachers also. The use of video tapes and close circuit T.V. will help the teachers to remodel and reshape their teaching behaviours suitably.

Development of Curriculum: Keeping in view the objectives of education which

have been finalised by education technology thereafter comes the question of developing right type of curriculum. Only a suitable type of curriculum will help in the attainment of goals.

Curriculum is the total teaching-learning environment which has to be modified and remodeled in the light of latest thoughts. Only educational technology can do this job of developing a suitable curriculum appropriately.

Development of Teaching-Learning Materials: Teaching- learning materials are also as important as

anything else in the teaching-learning process. They have to be in accordance with the environment of the learners. In this age of science and technology, the materials of teaching cannot be unscientific.

Everything of the society including values of life need be reflected in the materials. Only right type of materials will able to modify the behaviour of the learner suitably making him a fit person for the society. Only educational technology can develop the required and the desired type of teaching-learning materials.

Teaching-Learning Strategies:

A strategy plays an important role in the hands of a teacher in every teaching-learning situation.

The strategy has to be the right one which should be according to the materials and is able to bring about effective teaching-learning. The different strategies are being evolved by educational technology. The knowledge of those strategies is a must for every teacher. Then only the teachers will be able to do justice to their jobs.

Development of Audio-Visual Aids:

Audio-Visual aids have always played an important role in the teaching-learning process. They need be used according to the times. The software aids, the hardware aids, the computer and other such appliances, equipment etc., have “to be used in the present type of teaching-learning environment.

Help in Overall Improvement: Educational technology helps in locating the

problems in the different areas of education. It also helps in remedying the draw-backs.

Evaluation of the teaching- learning process is also made better because through feedback, things are improved thoroughly and there is better control over the process of education. Thus, educational technology can revolutionize the whole process of teaching-learning.

Identification of Needs of the Community:

Educational Technology identifies the needs of the community. It helps in providing equal education opportunities to backward people, disadvantaged students and deprived sections of the society. It helps education to reach the remotest corner of the country.

Identification of the Needs of Class-Room Behaviours.

Educational Technology identifies the needs of class-room behaviour. As the mass education has reduced the standard of education, the use of educational technology can maintain and improve the standard by the use of teaching aids and programmed instruction material. Educational Technology can inspire the students in the class-rooms for self-learning.

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