21st+Century+Learning

What does 21st Century Learning mean to you? Does it fit in your classroom? Where? How? Is it important to integrate 21st Century tools into the curriculum? Why? Why not?

To me, 21st century learning means using as many of the technological resources out there as possible to foster students' learning, creativity, and curiosity. 21st century learning means taking the next step and using the technology not just to find information, but also to make connections and foster collaborations that might not be possible otherwise. For example, our school will be partnering with a school in Boston to do community service. I can already see endless possibilities for using the wiki as a tool for students from the schools in Wellesley and Boston to share information, discuss ideas, and create together even though they aren't in the same physical space. 21st century learning fits into my classroom primarily in that it provides a way for me to give my students access to all kinds of audio and video resources to which I didn't have access in the past. Back "in the day" I was limited to showing the students a photo of a trumpet and playing a CD but now I can post a video of a professional trumpet player, I can take them to an interactive website where they can explore the trumpet and how it fits into the brass family and into the larger orchestra etc. etc. In the classroom I can have them up and dancing one minute, watching a short video clip of professional dancers the next, playing instruments in the next moment, switching to a short video clip of professional insturmentalists playing the song they were just working on, them have them sing a song, record them, play it back and have them self-assess their performance and then try it again while they attempt the improvements they just suggested, record them, play the recordings side by side and allow the students to hear and analyze if they truly did improve, etc. The students are still actively making music but I can give them a much richer context for the work they are doing and make their experience in class increasingly dynamic and exciting. At home, I can use wikis and websites to give them access to additional resources for practicing their music as well as for hearing new and interesting music that connects to the curriculum. They can collaborate and discuss the music they listen to on the wikis so it doesn't have to happen in isolation even though they are not in the school building.

//"Don't lock them up, log them in"!// This video is great. I chose it because it sums up the ideas of interconnectedness enabled by web 2.0, but it does it with a catchy tune in a tongue in cheek way. I enjoy the singer's ability to laugh at himself as he sings it... it's a serious message but he doesn't take himself too seriously while communicating it.

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