21st+Century+Learning


 * Featured Presentation: Promoting 21st Century Skills** "Ken Kay is president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, an organization dedicated to promoting a new vision of what students need to be successful in a globally competitive economy." Duration: 56:18 Click [|here].

Click [|here] for a collection of bookmarks on 21st century learning.
[|Contributing to the Human Spirit: Arts Education and the Creative Economy] "In a review of 2005 college-bound seniors, research showed that high school students who took arts classes had higher math and verbal SAT scores than students who take no arts classes. Specifically, those students who took four years of arts classes out-performed their peers by 58 points on the verbal portion of the SAT and 38 points on the math portion of the SAT." - Michael M. Kaiser, President, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
 * For more information on the importance of the arts in 21st century learning, click** here.

There remains much talk of a ‘digital divide’ — but we have so long grown accustomed to a world in which there is a ‘literacy divide’ it is not often mentioned. The move to the digital era could be as democratizing as the birth of the printing press was in the fifteenth century. It will bring the ability to capture and share human experiences, learning and entertainment in far more intuitive ways than the age of literacy allowed. -- Jerry Fishenden, Microsoft National Technology Officer

All innovation is fundamentally collaborative. With increasing specialization in business and academia in recent years, this has led to an increasing need for organizations and individuals to develop wider, more open networks, partnerships and trusted communities to share ideas and to innovate. In particular, a powerful source of innovation is to collaborate across traditional boundaries, be they organizational, disciplinary or geographic. Therefore, much of the discussion centered upon how can we communicate effectively and build trust across these disparate communities. Technology definitely has a major role to play in supporting these boundary–disrupting collaborations, but perhaps there is a need to further develop most peoples’ ‘transliteracy’ skills. - Roland Harwood, of the U. K. National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts

[|Oklahoma Creativity Project] State invests in unlocking creativity.

National Public Radio [|Teens Take Advantage of Online Privacy Tools] All Things Considered, April 3, 2008 · Many younger people have very nuanced ideas about Internet privacy. They post deeply personal information on social networking sites, but understand and use various privacy locks so only certain people can see their profiles.

[|Teens' Online 'Friends' Often Number in Hundreds] All Things Considered, April 3, 2008 · A majority of teenagers who go online maintain one or more profiles at social networking websites. Most teens restrict access to to their profiles, but "friends" who access the profiles routinely number in the hundreds.


 * Video Highlights from Nathan Lowell....**

[|A View of 21st Century Learners] [|Welcome to Your World] [|Free Range Learning]

[|Consortium for School Networking] Advancing K-12 Technology Leadership

02-08 Economic Policy Institute [|A Report Card on Comprehensive Equity] Racial Gaps in the Nation's Youth Outcomes

by Richard Rothstein

"The "achievement gap" usually refers to the difference between black and white students' basic skills test scores. But education and youth development consists of more than basic skills -- it also includes critical thinking, social skills and a work ethic, citizenship and community responsibility, physical health, emotional health, appreciation of the arts and literature, and preparation for skilled work. Greater equity in outcomes requires narrowing the achievement gap in each of these areas. In this "Report Card on Comprehensive Equity," Richard Rothstein, Rebecca Jacobsen, and Tamara Wilder estimate the black-white achievement gaps in each of these aspects of education and youth development, and illustrate the types of data gathering which should be undertaken for ongoing measurement of these gaps."

02-17-08 USA Today [|"Film Raises Troubling Questions About U. S. Students"] ["The brainchild of Memphis businessman Robert Compton, Two Million Minutes takes its title from the amount of time most students spend in high school absorbing, one hopes, enough math, science, literature and history to compete in an increasingly flat, competitive world."] Watch the video [|here].

01-23-08 Forbes [|"A Matter of Scale: Expanding Educational Opportunities"] by Bill Gates

01-23-08 Forbes [|"Technology's Greater Role in Education"] by John Chambers

10-15-07 eSchool News [|Voters Urge Teaching of 21st-Century Skills]: Poll suggests 'back-to-basics' approach to education is not enough for nation's citizens "Results of a new poll commissioned by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills shows the vast majority of U.S. voters believe students are ill-equipped to compete in the global learning environment, and that schools must incorporate 21st-century skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, communication and self-direction, and computer and technology skills into the curriculum. But the upcoming presidential election, researchers say, presents a perfect opportunity to charter a new path to success for America's students."

09-05-07 Business Week [|"Back to School 2.0"] Collaborative technology prepares youth for the global economy.

08-20-07 Business Week [| “The Future of Work”] Magazine’s coverage on transforming what it means "to be at work" has implications for education.

[|Asia Society]
 * [|A World-Class Education Online Action Kit]

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development [|Special Report/ Twenty-First-Century Skills for the Whole Child] "A new report indicates that virtual learning can transform education—but only by incorporating the skills students need for success in work and life." Summer 2007

[|America Electronics Association] //[|Losing the Competitive Advantage? The Challenge for Science and Technology in the United States]// "Losing the Competitive Advantage? explores the challenges the United States currently faces and, in many ways, is ignoring at its peril. Our purpose is to alert audiences that America’s edge, particularly in science and technology, is increasingly at risk."

[|21st Century Learning: Will Our Students be Prepared?] From Technology and Learning 2003.

[|AT&T Building a Framework for 21st Century Literacies: Information Multicultural, Media and Visual]

[| Business Summit for 21st Century Skills Wisconsin] "Business Summit for 21st Century Skills brings together business leaders and educators from around WI to brainstorm what exactly are 21st century skills. Using both the framework of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and the process of the American Diploma Project as lenses to examine their state standards, this summit focused on 2 questions: 1. What are the 21st century skills that will sustain and grow a vibrant, global economy and 2. what should be expected of today’s students so they can be effective citizens and leaders in our communities?" Written by Paul Sandrock Assistant Director Content and Learning Team, Partnership for 21st Century Learning

[| Classroom 2.0] "Welcome to Classroom20.com, the social networking site for those interested in the practical application of computer technology (especially Web 2.0) in the classroom and in their own professional development. Especially we hope that those who feel they are "beginners" will find this a comfortable place to start being a part of the community dialog and to learn more."

Coalition of Essential Schools 10 Common Principles and School 2.0

[| Education for Global Leadership] From the Committee for Economic Development
 * [| Executive Summary]

[| enGauge] An excellent resource and planning model for charting your school's course in 21st century learning.

[|Global Competition and Education] From 21st Century Connections "Author Jonathan Kozol criticizes global competitiveness as an educational goal in the 21st century. Read his and our news editor's opinions, and add a comment to tell us what you think."

[| International Society for Technology in Education] (ISTE) ISTE's National Education Technology Standards for Students
 * ===**creativity and innovation** ;===
 * communication and collaboration;
 * research and information fluency;
 * critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making;
 * digital citizenship; and
 * technology operations and concepts.

[| National Governors' Association]
 * [| Innovation America: A Partnership]
 * [| Innovation America: A Compact for Postsecondary Education]
 * [| Innovation America: Investing in Innovation]
 * [| Innovation America: A Final Report]

[| North Carolina: Two-page summary outlining the state's initiative]

[| Partnership for 21st Century Skills] An advocacy organization infusing 21st century skills into education.
 * [| Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers' Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U. S. Workforce]

"Surveyed 400 of the Fortune 500 companies, with results showing that even the best-educated university graduates are deficient in the applied skills necessary for the workplace."

English Language (spoken) Reading Comprehension (in English) Writing in English (grammar,spelling,etc.) Mathematics Science Government/Economics Humanities/Arts Foreign Languages History/Geography
 * Basic Knowledge/Skills**

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving Oral Communications Written Communications Teamwork/Collaboration Diversity Information Technology Application Leadership Creativity/Innovation Lifelong Learning/SelfDirection Professionalism/WorkEthic Ethics/Social Responsibility
 * Applied Skills**

Professionalism/WorkEthic Oral and Written Communications Teamwork/Collaboration and Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
 * Most Important Skills**

[| School 2.0] An initiative of the US Department of Education. What is School 2.0? "School 2.0 is a brainstorming tool designed to help schools, districts and communities develop a common education vision for the future and to explore how that vision can be supported by technology. School 2.0 provides a "big picture" perspective that allows for a common point of entry so that all community stakeholders can participate in this important conversation. While School 2.0 depicts a variety of educational and management scenarios that utilize technology, the examples, information and ideas included are designed to serve as prompts for discussion and should not be construed as a recommendation of any particular technology or scenario. Rather, School 2.0 is purposely a sketch and a work in progress. It is designed to facilitate community discussions and preparations for short and long term educational and management goals."

[| TAPPING America's Potential]
 * [| The Education for Innovation Initiative]

[|Transliteracy: Crossing Divides] "Transliteracy might provide a unifying perspective on what it means to be literate in the twenty–first century. It is not a new behavior but has only been identified as a working concept since the Internet generated new ways of thinking about human communication. This article defines transliteracy as “the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks” and opens the debate with examples from history, orality, philosophy, literature, and ethnography."

[| The 21st Century at Work: Forces Shaping the Future Workforce and Workplace in the United States] RAND 2004. Prepared for the U. S. Department of Labor.

In labor as in other policy domains, government action plays out in a context of powerful trends, some strongly affected by other govern- ment activities and some not. Understanding this context is a pre- requisite to sound policy formation. To aid understanding of the forces impinging on the workforce and workplace of the twenty-first century, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) asked RAND to con- duct a study of the future of work. Specifically, we seek to answer two sets of questions about work in the twenty-first century:

• What are the major factors that will shape the future of work in the current century and how are those factors likely to evolve over the next 10 to 15 years?

• What are the implications of these future trends for key aspects of the future workforce and workplace, including the size, com- position, and skills of the workforce; the nature of work and workplace arrangements; and worker compensation?

To address these questions, we take a closer look at three major fac- tors that are expected to shape the world of work in the coming decades: shifting demographic patterns, the pace of technological change, and the path of economic globalization. In doing so, our objective is not so much to predict the future but rather to under- stand key structural forces under way in the economy today, the fac- tors associated with those trends, and whether we can expect such trends to continue or to deviate from their present course. We also aim to identify the implications of those trends and the challenges they pose for decisionmakers in the public and private sectors.

//[| The Sources of Innovation and Creativity]// /From the National Center on Education and the Economy for the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce

//[| Tough Choices or Tough Times: The Report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce]// Executive summary.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
 * [| Education for All-Global Monitoring Report 2007>]
 * [| Task Force on Education for the Twenty-first Century]

[| West Virginia: Two-page summary outlining the state's initiative]

[| World Future Society] From The Futurist //10 Breakthroughs Transforming Life Over the Next 20-30 Years// 1. Alternative energy 2. Desalination 3. Precision farming 4. Biometrics 5. Quantum computers 6. Entertainment on demand 7. Global access 9. Nanotechnology 10. Smart Robots
 * 8. Virtual education or distance learning**