This is the blog site for the technology committee at the Lawrenceville School. We hope to use this site as a place for discussion about the role of technology in a Lawrenceville education, bringing in the voices of teachers, students, parents, alumni, and the world at large. We will also maintain a collection of related resources here.
Here's a good start: 21 Definitions for a 21st-Century Education
ReplyDeletehttp://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/21-definitions-for-a-21st-century-education/
NCTE definition of 21st century literacies:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ncte.org/governance/literacies
Twenty-first century readers and writers need to
Develop proficiency with the tools of technology
Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally
Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes
Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information
Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts
Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - http://www.p21.org/
ReplyDeleteOffers a Framework for 21st Century Learning
Student outcomes include:
1. Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes
2. Learning and Innovation Skills
- Creativity and Innovation
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
- Communication and Collaboration
3. Information, Media and Technology Skills
- Information Literacy
- Media Literacy
- ICT Literacy
4. Life and Career Skills
The ALA/AASL's Standards for the 21st Century Learner gives an overview of the most necessary information and technology literacy skills young people should be practicing in preparation for college and the working world. The teacher-librarians should have a copy in the Bunn Library, but a quick link can be found on the ALA website at: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/standards.cfm
ReplyDeleteIdeas for Response:
Support for content area teachers should be given to help them integrate these 21st Century skills into their core curriculum...
-Collaborative planning and teaching with teacher-librarians and/or educational technology coordinator.
-Curriculum development between department heads and teacher-librarians/ed. tech.
-Professional development for faculty on current educational technology--how to use it, how to teach with it, how to create assessments using technology, teaching resources, etc.
-Testing of new technology within the community (iPads for educational use, assistive technology, etc.)
Will Richardson spoke at Lawrenceville yesterday as part of the NJAIS conference. He recommended 8 shifts for us (teachers) and our students:
ReplyDelete1. do talk to strangers -- many of our best teachers in life are going to be those that we find based on shared interests
2. the G profile -- public is the new default, learn how to Google well and manage your online reputation
3. get digital paper trained -- paper notes are mostly useless because they're disconnected
4. information management - we'll all need to be able to manage multiple streams of simultaneous information; we don't have information overload, we have filter failure
5. be a crap detector -- it's critical to know the source of online information
6. follow your passions -- the future will emphasize personalized learning versus one-size-fits-all education
7. learn to learn - we need to help students become learners rather than learned
8. solve problems creatively and patiently - the latter being a major challenge in this age of instant responses
Any suggestions for how we foster such attitudes, embed such skills?
#3 is why I have always been a fan of the tablet PC, especially for students. The combination of natural input through handwriting, and the flat surface form factor (no screen between the teacher and student) really fits the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWe're very interested in checking out the new Android & Chrome tablets due in Q1 2011.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_personal_computer
Bill.
Liz, you were very lucky to hear Will Richardson speak as IMHO he is one of the great forward thinkers in this area right now. The shifts he gave you are great, I especially like number 1. Here's the link to his blog in case anyone wants to keep up with what he's doing:
ReplyDeletehttp://weblogg-ed.com/
Thanks Ted.
ReplyDelete@Ted - We are lucky to have several faculty members working with Will and his group at Powerful Learning Practice: http://plpnetwork.com/
ReplyDeleteHis blog is really thought provoking.
Bill Freitas.
I must admit I'm not in tune with the current range of technologies used on campus. I have personally found forums and other discussion media (email distribution lists) to be an excellent source of continuing education. I have also found that they are self governing, with individuals rising to the occasion to educate others in areas where they have superior knowledge or experience. This could translate into the school environment with students helping each other learning specific materials rather than having all students focused on learning all from the teachers. This would give students additional outlets for their skills, while giving teachers another dimension to assess their students' mastery of the material. A quick audit of message volumes and quality would highlight students who have gone above and beyond to act as thought leaders in certain classes, coaching their peers when they have extra cycles.
ReplyDeleteThere may be implications for students using cycles to educate others rather than focusing on their own, rigorous obligations, and information sharing could be abused by some, but overall, I have been amazed by the power of communal education over the years, and think it could be proactively harnessed to add broaden students social awareness to complement their academic education.
@Marc - another great post, thanks! "There may be implications for students using cycles to educate others rather than focusing on their own, rigorous obligations" - I was once told that 'you never *really* know a topic until you have to teach it to someone else,' something that I have found to be quite true in my teaching experience. Using students as teachers can be a great motivator to have them learn something in depth, or just be given a chance to share what they are passionate about.
ReplyDelete