Are You a 21st Century Learner?

Every day I walk down the hallway to my office and see a black and white poster that reads,

“The illiterate of the 21st century
will not be those who cannot read
and write, but those who cannot
learn, unlearn, and relearn."
Alvin Toffler

To me, this statement gets to the core of what needs to change in education today. We cannot teach if we ourselves are not 21st century learners. Teacher’s first need to learn with today’s technology. They need to change as technologies changes.

I so often hear that we need to concentrate on the pedagogy and not the tools. I disagree. The two are very interdependent. Pedagogy is the bedrock which learning will be built upon and technology will build the connections. Technology is changing the educational environment and we need to adapt to the changes. Once teachers begin to learn, unlearn, and relearn in this 21st century environment, they will then be able to help others learn, unlearn and relearn.

So where to begin? I saw this wonderful publication, Twelve Essentials for Technology Integration, and would like to share it with you. It is a free resource from Richard Bryne, author of Free Technology for Teachers. Once you learn how to learn with these tools it will be second nature incorporating them into the classroom. Enjoy the journey.

Actual link to Free Technology for Teachers: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

Actual link to the Twelve Essentials for Technology Integration publications: http://content.yudu.com/Library/A18dcc/TwelveEssentialsforT/resourc...

Tags: education, educational, integration, k-12, learning, teachers, teaching, technology

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Comment by cem balcikanli on November 8, 2009 at 12:08pm: that's a wonderful resource, thanks for sharing ....
Cm

Comment by Pamela Jackson on November 8, 2009 at 2:04pm: It's ironic that my mother taught us earlier what Toffler quoted nearly a decade later. Through her West Indian culture she trained us in continuous improvement and reengineering. Of course, also offering a multitude of quotes; "Only a fool doesn't ask a question when you don't know." Her preparation enabled me to move seemlessly through several industries, learning, unlearning, relearning, and reinventing myself. She told us that what "we did at home and school would prepare us for industry." It took both she said, because home was transition for school, and school for work, so she made our home a training ground and fought for education. Paradigm shift was to be expected, look for the signs. She is now updating me on the new health care legislation in Washington. She showed concern over the banking industry long before the failure occurred; noting that major NYC commerical banks were virtually disappearing replaced by unfamilar banks. So, her culture defined what a Twenty-First Century learner would be. Who is in my PLN? mom is one, as well as online colleagues.

Comment by Jennifer Parker on November 8, 2009 at 5:39pm: I once was taught that I am a digital immigrant. I was introduced to a digital society later in life. My children are digital natives. They were born into a digital society. They know nothing different. We struggle to keep up with evolving technology whereas a child picks up a piece of equipment and immediatley begins to operate it with ease. Students learn differently because of technology. According to Robert J. Garmston, author of "Becoming Expert Teachers," professional educators should know their students learning style preferences. As professionals, it is our responsibility to meet our students where they are which means we need to adapt.

Garmston, Robert J. (1998). Becoming expert teachers (part one). Journal of Staff Development, 19(1), Retrieved from http://nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/garmston191.cfm

Comment by Meredith Johnson on November 9, 2009 at 9:41pm: Excellent resource! Thank you for sharing it. First thing in the morning I will share it with other educators. What a terrific way to show leadership in helping others learn!