21st Century Learning

21st Century Learners

When I think of a 21st Century learner, my first thought goes to technology. Making sure that students know how to use technology and how to harness its power to learn, but after seeing Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner (MacArthur, 2010), I now think differently. My first thought now goes to the importance of embracing change as mentioned by John Seely Brown in the video. Our world is changing at a very rapid pace, so we as learners and teachers need to embrace change and think of a 21st Century learner as a learner that learns to love change and is equipped with skills for creativity, engagement, social interactions, not just technology as mentioned by Henry Jenkins in the video. 20th Century Learner vs. 21st Century Learner I really enjoyed seeing the video 21st Century Education vs. 20th Century Education. The big take away I had was that 20th Century Learning was very teacher centered, where the teacher was "filling a vessel" by lecturing and having students memorize information. That type of passive learning was textbook driven and centered around individual learning. While 21st Century learning is more student centered. In this type of active learning, educators serve more as facilitators that "kindle the fire" by allowing students to discover how to learn and collaborate with their peers. I believe with my whole heart that 21st Century Learning is the learning that should take place in ALL our classrooms so that students will be prepared for the ever-changing world. Yet, at times I still feel that some educational policies and even some educators are "old school" and stuck in 20th century teaching. This is why my coworkers, Veronica Balli, Ileana Reyna, and I feel so passionately about our innovation project: Blended Learning: Personalizing the Future of Technology. We want to create a significant learning environment where students have choice, ownership and voice through an authentic blended learning environment.

References 21st Educator. (2009, April 2). 21st century education vs. 20th century education [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiD1UqLPrOg&feature=youtu.be

MacArthur Foundation. (2010, December 1). Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner | MacArthur Foundation. YouTube. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://youtu.be/c0xa98cy-Rw