 21st Century Learners
By Cathleen Richardson
What do we really know about today’s
youth? As educators, do we truly understand how they think, learn, communicate,
and socialize? As if you didn’t know by now, they don’t perform any of the
aforementioned skills in any manner like the youth of years past. Our students
live in a digital world, altered by ever-changing technology. The youth of
today can instant message on their laptop, talk on a cell phone, play a video
game wirelessly with a friend down the street and chew bubble gum - all at the
same time.
These "Screenagers" are
undeniably different. They are authors of blogs, designers of web sites, and
developers of ring tones. They have created an entire language of their own
using abbreviated terms such as LOL (laugh out loud), BRB (be right back), POS
(parent over the shoulder), MIRL (meet in real life) and BTDT (been there, done
that). The bottom line is that these students learn and comprehend in a way
that is foreign to many of us, and, as a result, they often feel disconnected
from traditional teachers and schools of yesteryear.
Digital students are goal-oriented
and able to pursue multiple outcomes at the same time. This generation of 21st
Century learners can absorb a great deal of information at super-charged speed
whether it is transmitted via a cell phone, television, the Internet, or MP3
player. Digital students are masters of varying types of technology. These
students are always connected with their peers and the world through
technology. The digital generation has unknowingly incorporated 21st Century
skills into their day-to-day lives by becoming innovators, creative designers,
critical thinkers, collaborators, and complex problem-solvers. While these
students are having fun, they are also learning.
At a recent conference, Terry Jones, founder and former CEO of Travelocity.com told the audience a
fascinating story. His son, a digital native, co-created a now popular computer
game called “Day of Defeat” with
four students from the United States, five from Europe and one from Canada.
Interestingly, they never met! They collaborated and created this game solely
via email and chat interactions.
Digital students are determined,
focused on success and creators of their own destiny. This knowledge forces us
to pause, ponder and then pose a series of additional questions. According to
Speak Up, an online research project, which annually surveys K-12 students,
teachers, parents, and school administrators, these are some key educational
questions educators should be focusing on:
- What are the benefits of emerging technologies such as
mobile devices, gaming in education, online learning and open education
resources?
- What would happen if emerging technology were used to get
students interested in STEM careers?
- What are the barriers/challenges to using technology?
The reality is that many schools
aren’t ready or willing to address these questions. The traditional educational
view of drill and practice and test taking is a difficult concept to abandon or
reconsider for many educators. This is where the disconnect begins. Alan November, a recognized leader in
the field of educational technology, lists on his website comments from
workshop attendees on the future of education. One workshop participant stated,
“Hope can overcome fear when barriers are torn down, by allowing students to
engage in a forum they are comfortable they take ownership of their learning
and the teachers will be willing to change from the role of information giver
to facilitator.”
Now that we know more about the
digital generation, is it possible as educators that we need to rethink who we
are? We must re-evaluate the practice of teaching and learning and equip our
students with the necessary tools to help them advance in this digital age.
Acknowledging who these students are and meeting them on their current playing
field will bridge the digital gap and connect us all to the 21st Century. John
Dewey, a well-known educational reformer, says it best, “If we teach today as
we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.”
Next, we’ll delve more into the minds
of this digital generation and explore what experts say about this
extraordinary group of learners.
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