When asked to define and describe 21st century learning I leaned into the seeming amorphous nature of 21st century learning. Instead of defining the individual term I instead focused on the changes that the agreed upon definition have gone through since the late 20th century.
The rapid advancement of technology has resulted in a digital landscape that touches nearly every aspect of our lives. Technology has permeated so much of our daily lives that basic needs, such as social interaction, are being fulfilled solely through technology.
“21st Century Learning” seems to have been popularized in the early 2000s as a catch all term for attempts to overcome issues associated with education in the global age. There are articles from 1995 that concentrate on the changing landscape in education and what needs to be done to prepare students for the 21st century. James R. Davis (1995) published Reengineering teaching for 21st century learning concentrating specifically on the challenges that would be faced in higher education. He concluded then that more advanced study, such as graduate work, would see the most significant changes.
Different frameworks have been developed to overcome obstacles associated with the changing technology landscape, but the conclusion the resonates with me is one made by Kereluik et al.(2014) that “the manner in which we represent knowledge and act upon it may change, the core idea of what we do as educators has not.”
Focusing on how to integrate new technology into an existing classroom can overcome many of the concerns that otherwise accompany technology implementation. Instead of talking about advanced features we can concentrate on the simplest way that faculty can use a product. Introducing technology using the SAMR framework encourages worthwhile implementation without dumbing down the teaching.
Davis, J. R. (1995). Reengineering teaching for 21st century learning. Educational Record, 76(4), 16-22.
Kereluik, K., Mishra, P., Fahnoe, C., & Terry, L. (2014). What knowledge is of most worth. Teacher Knowledge for 21st Century Learning, 127-140. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2013.10784716