7. Blended learning using a combination of learning environments, teaching strategies, media and activities including synchronous, asynchronous and instructor facilitate teaching and learning 15
8. Current role of technology Meet diverse learners’ needs 15 Development & access to resources Any where any time access
12. Future of blended learning… Technology to motivate Any where anytime learning Develop greater sense of responsibility Become digitally literate 10, 14
28. 21st century skill development …dependant on successful pedagogical integration and access to educational resources via computer networks 7
29. Future of Education… …Essential 21st literacy skills …Prepare learners for a future without knowing what professions will be created …Continuous connectivity and access to the online community and content 11 6 1
30. Future of education… …facilitates competitive and innovative learning, and fosters global collaboration 5
33. Footnotes 1. Alexander, B. (2009). Apprehending the future – emerging technologies, from science fiction to campus reality. Educause, 44(3), 12-29. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume44/ApprehendingtheFutureEmergingT/171774 2. Cisco Systems Inc. (2009). Equipping every learner for the 21st century. Retrieved from http://www.21cschools.org/ 3. Facer, K. & Sandford, R. (2010). The next 25 years?: future scenarios and future directions for education and technology. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26(1), 74-93. 4. George-Palilonis, Jennifer & Filak, Vincent. (2009). Blended learning in the visual communications classroom: Student reflections on a multimedia course. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 7(3), 247-256. Retrieved from http://www.ejel.org 5. Kolderie, T. & McDonald, T. (2009). How information technology can enable 21st century schools. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.itif.org/files/Education_ITIF.pdf 6. Lambert, Mike. (2001). 21st century learners – and their approaches to learning. ultiBase, 8. Retrieved January 30, 2010 from http://ultibase.rmit.edu.au/Articles/sept02/lambert1.htm 7. LeBaron, John & McDonough, Elizabeth. (2009). Research report for GeSCI meta-review of ICT in education phase one. Global e-School and Communities Initiative, GeSCI. Retrieved from http://www.gesci.org 8. Lemke, C., Coughlin, E., & Reifsneider, D. (2009). Technology in schools: What the research says: An update. Culver City, CA: Commissioned by Cisco. 9. Lomas, C., Burke, M., & Page, C. L. (2008). Collaboration Tools. Educause. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ELI/CollaborationTools/163150
34. 10. McLuckie, Joe, Luchoomun, Dharmadeo 7 van Wesel, Maarten. (2010). Collaborative e- learning: e-Portfolios for assessment, teaching and learning. The Electronic Journal of e- Learning, 8(1), 21-30. Retrieved from http://www.ejel.org 11. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL)& Metiri Group. (2003). enGauge®21st century skills: literacy in the digital age. Retrieved from http:// www.ncrel.org/engauge 12. Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21a). (2009). 21st century learning environments. Retrieved =March 16, 2010 from http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=600&Itemid=185 13. Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21b). (2009). Framework for 21st century learning. Retrieved March 16, 2010 from http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=119 14. Schmidt, Joel T. & Werner, Christian H. (2007). Designing online instruction for success: Future oriented motivation and self-regulation. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 5(1), 69-78. Retrieved form http://www.ejel.org 15. Singh, Harvey. (2003). Building effective blended learning programs. Educational Technology, 43(6), 51-54. 16. Vannatta, Rachel & Fordham, Nacy. (2004). Teacher dispositions as predictors of classroom technology use. Journal of Research of Technology in Education, 36(3), 253-271. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/JRTE/Issues/Volume_361/Number_3_Spring_20041/Teacher_Dispositions_as_Predictors_of_Classroom_Technology_Use.htm 17. Ward, R., Moule, P. & Lockyer, L. (2009). Adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in education for health professionals in the UK: Where are we and why? Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 7(2), 165-172. Retrieved from http://www.ejel.org
This presentation will critically reflect on three technology trends - blended learning, social and personal learning networks and publishing in the 21st century K-12 classroom. Fostering of a future with technology trends in education and identifying some of the challenges for each trend will ensue.
The 2003 enGuage Report (NCREL & Metiri Group, 2003) identified four skill sets necessary for 21st century learning in K-12 education– “digital literacy, inventive thinking, effective communication and high productivity” (p.12). These skill sets require education to change existing teaching and learning practices whereby 21st century skills and tools are integrated in provide 21st century learning opportunities (Cisco Systems, 2009; P21b, 2009).
According to research sponsored by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning Skills (2009) and Cisco Systems (2009), education has entered into an era of multiple answers and infinite possibilities. The challenge in education today is learning to learn and live in an environment of constant change using a variety of sources and resources (P21b).
How can educators foster a future with technology in education? What resources are available and how can these resources be utilized to facilitate the development of 21st century skills and 21st century learning?
Trend 1 – Technology & Blended Learning: what is the significance of technology in the blended learning classroom?
Blended learning is defined as using a combination of learning environments, teaching strategies, media and activities including synchronous, asynchronous and instructor facilitate teaching and learning (Singh, 2003). Past blended learning environments were limited to physical materials such as lectures, labs, or books (Singh, 2003). The future of blended learning with technology has no physical constraints. Synchronous and asynchronous approaches scan involve online meetings, classrooms, lectures, simulations or field trips (Singh, 2003).
The role of technology in blended learning environments is to facilitate 21st century skill development and access to resources to meet the diverse learners’ needs, provide any where any time access to course content, as well as provide access to current resources to meet curricular outcomes (Singh, 2003).
A challenge of blended learning environments is providing technical support to all educators and learners to use the technology tools effectively and efficiently (George-Palilonis & Filak, 2009). Rethinking how technological and human resources are deployed to meet the needs of learners in the 21st century will require system-wide planning and support of all stakeholders (Kolderie & McDonald, 2009; P21a, 2009).
Future of blended learning – Research by Schmidt and Werner in 2007 and McLuckie, Luchoomun and van Wesel in 2010 concluded that providing students with the opportunity to learn in a blended learning environment can increase motivation and enthusiasm to learn, foster a greater sense of responsibility when work is shared, develop digital literacy, and promote life-long learning by modeling any where anytime learning. Blended learning may become more widely accepted in K-12 learning environments.
Trend 2 – Technology & Social and personal learning networks: what is the significance of technology in creating social and personal learning networks?
Social and personal learning networking is not new to education. Learners in the 21st century are no longer limited to networking within the traditional confines of the classroom or school (Ward et al.; P21b, 2009). However, 21st century networking requires technology to connect with experts in the global community, link to real-world contexts and harness the opportunity for critical feedback, reflections and analysis will foster a community of social networking to create new knowledge and develop 21st century skills (NCREL & Metiri Group, 2003).
The learners’ ability engage and interact with the global community requires educators to harness the impact of the web on teaching and learning strategies and capitalize on the functionality of technology to connect learners in the global world (Cisco Systems, 2009). The future of 21st century classrooms will utilize Web 2.0 & 3.0 tools to develop these skills (P21b, 2009).
Lomas, Burke and Page (2008) define collaboration as the ability to work with one or more people to produce or create something. Web 2.0 collaboration tools such as email, Googledocs, wikis, blogs, and social networking sites can remove traditional classroom boundaries (Ward, Moule & Lockyer, 2009) providing more opportunities for learners to collaborate.
Networking with the global educational community has no limitations. Limitations on the uses of Web 2.0 tools to collaborate and contribute to knowledge creation are subjective to the acceptance of these tools in the classroom and schools by educators (Vannatta & Fordham, 2004). However, educators must be trained to use Web 2.0 technologies but deepen their understanding of how these tools when integrated into teaching and learning curriculum will develop higher skill levels (Cisco Systems, 2009; LeBaron & McDonough, 2009; P21b, 2009).
Learners can create social and personal learning environments to support their unique and diverse needs (Facer & Sandford). Partnership in 21st Century Learning (2009) acknowledge networks as virtual, online, remote or physical (p.3) – anywhere that can facilitate learning. The future of K-12 education will require the establishment of diverse learning networks to meet the learners’ needs, connect with experts, develop portfolios of learning, and extend learning opportunities to the greater community.
Trend 3 – Technology & Publishing: what is the significance of technology on 21st century publishing?
On the web, all participants have the choice to become publishers (Facer & Sandford, 2010). Creating content and contributing to existing knowledge does not require additional costs. (Facer & Sandford). Educators must facilitate learning opportunities whereby learners develop an understanding of publishing etiquette and authentication of sources for effective and reliable use of information sharing (P21b, 2009).
Facilitating the creation of new knowledge, the contribution of personal work, i.e. artistic or academic, and the collaboration and establishment of online academic communities can lead to the development of competitive, knowledgeable, highly skilled and qualified 21st century learners (P21a, 2009).
The benefits of online sharing such as publishing are many. Learners are accessing authentic resources and sources to create new knowledge, create communities of learners, and they are publishing new knowledge and contributing to existing resources. (Facer & Sandford, 2010). Research indicates Web 2.0 technologies motivate and engage learners to achieve higher levels of quality work when shared (P21a, 2009).
How will education change in the future? The traditional focus on mastering academic content will shift to 21st century skill development (Kolderie & McDonald, 2009).
However, as stated by LeBaron & McDonough (2009) the success of 21st century skill development to improve 21st century literacies is dependant of successful pedagogical integration and access to educational resources via computer networks (p. 4).
The future of education includes developing essential 21st literacy skills (NCREL & Metri Group, 2003) and preparing learners for a future without knowing what professions will be created (Lamert, 2002). The future of education may include no boundaries between formal academic learning time and personal time through continuous connectivity and access to the online community and content (Alexander, 2009).
……Providing an environment that facilitates competitive and innovative learning, and fosters global collaboration within the fiscal constraints of school budgets (Kolderie & McDonald, 2009) is the future of education 21st learning.
….balancing teacher as facilitator and student as collaborator to further improve differentiation and individualized learning environments (Ward et al., 2009). The trend will become more prevalent in the future of education learning environments.
