21st Century Learning

21st Century

Learning

The Necessary Skills to Learn in the 21st Century

BY Dale J. Sweet & Helen M. Brocker

the new age of technology-facilitated learning and communication and the

Understanding

GLOBAL REACH

it can have.

Module 1 Overview

Before the 21st Century – we used simpler technology to learn!

Modern learners have integrated computers and technology into their everyday life!

But they are not robots!

Piaget named three processes we use when we learn at any age: assimilation, accommodation, equilibration. These process affect how we create and modify schema – our mental representations of our external world.

Integrating new ideas into our existing view of the world is basic to our cognitive development.

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Vygotsky stressed the role of community in “meaning making.” He asserted that social interaction is the foundation of learning…

Learning is, in fact, a social process according to Vygotsky. Learning happens best in community…

So when emerging technologies tap into…

“Whether a high school graduate plans to enter the workforce directly, or attend a vocational school, community college, or university, it is a requirement to be able to think critically, solve problems, communicate, collaborate, find good information quickly, and use technology effectively.

These are today’s survival skills.”

Today’s students must learn information, media, and technology skills as part of their education.

“…tools, concepts, innovations,and advancements utilized in diverse educational settings (includingdistance, face-to-face, and hybrid forms of education) to serve varied education-related purposes (e.g., instructional, social, and organizationalgoals).”

What are emerging Technologies?

They are CONSTANTLY EVOLVING, SUBJECT TO “HYPE CYCLES,”

“What do we do in a world where change happens faster than ever

before?”

21st Century Learners

• Need to be able to understand computing• Need to be able to create• Need to be able to multi-learn – “Multi-task Learning”• Need to be able to collaborate• Need to be self-motivated

Computing – The Power to Learn Fast!

Creativity

Multi-Task Learning

Multi – WHAT?The ability to follow several threads on a single topic at the same time.

Emerging Technologies in Distance Education

21st

Century Knowledge and Skills in Educator Preparation

References