As an educator for the last 16 years, I have been witness to significant changes inside the classroom. Technology has greatly impacted the world and consequently has forever affected the way people learn, interact, think and behave. As a teacher, it is my job to adjust accordingly. What worked in the past and how I personally learned, may not be what a 21st century learner needs in order to have a successful future. The education world as I knew it, no longer exists.
Having access to a myriad of information at our fingertips, along with the ability to communicate freely with a wide audience, allows students and teachers to have greater connections to foster learning. Frey, Fisher, and Gonzalez (2010) state, “Literacy 2.0 represents a shift, not a replacement. Whereas literacy 1.0 was about access to information, literacy 2.0 is about finding, using, producing, and sharing information. The audience is now the world, and students expect to collaborate, interact, and participate with others across time and space” (p.1). Previously, teachers told students exactly what they wanted them to know, students would do some sort of an activity (usually a worksheet), and then take a test that would ask them to regurgitate the information they were given. This type of learning is no longer effective. Students must be able to think at higher levels.
“Today’s students have a deep-seated need to communicate and collaborate, to access information at any time of the day or night, and to have the tools that will enable them to synthesize, evaluate, and create information (Frey, Fisher & Gonzalez, 2010, p.5). As an educator, I must find tools that allow this type of learning to take place. I need to understand the function of digital tools and choose the ones that will best meet my instructional needs (Frey, Fisher & Gonzalez, 2010, p.6). I should be thinking of ways in which I can use technology to support literacy. Anderson, Grant and Speck (2008) suggest, “What we as teachers need to know is how to capitalize on students’ default method of learning so that students can become increasingly literate as readers and writers” (p.3). In other words, literacy in a 21st century classroom uses technology as problem solving tools to augment thinking as opposed to only being used as a delivery mechanism (Anderson, Grant & Speck, 2008, p.7).
This past year, I have been participating in a project based learning initiative through my district. I am part of the pilot program. We are investigating teaching and learning strategies that are centered around projects that are geared towards students solving a problem. They do all the investigation and problem solving while the teacher facilitates and guides them. We equip them with the tools and base knowledge, but allow them to explore and guide their own learning within a topic. This is exactly how literacy is changing and evolving in the 21st century classroom. This type of learning is called social-constructivist learning. Instead of taking in information given by the teacher, students are actively engaged in their learning. Activities require students to analyze, synthesize and evaluate (Anderson, Grant & Speck, 2008, p. 8-10). In addition, there is a shift in how students work. Instead of learning and working independently all the time, students are often required to work in collaborative groups. Anderson, Grant and Speck (2008) state, “Teachers do not teach literacy skills in isolation but instead create meaningful and purposeful tasks that are open ended and problem based” (p. 12). This idea is the foundation of the changes that are taking place for literacy in a 21st century classroom.
References:
Anderson, R. S., Grant, M. M., & Speck, B. W. (2008). Technology to teach literacy: a resource for K-8 teachers (Second ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0: reading and writing in 21st century classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteI really like what you said about the connections that can be made using technology. I left that out in my blog, but it raises a good point. If students are connecting not only with each other but with members of the educational community or professionals, then we need to be teaching literacy in such a way that their communications are not only clear but also fitting into the educational culture.
I liked that you talked about how students have a need to collaborate. I feel like students spend a great deal of their in collaboration with their peers socially. I think it's in the best interest of teachers to utilize that culture in lessons, and help students to learn how to collaborate in an academic setting.I am excited about the direction project based learning takes students in. I think it helps to foster their ability to collaborate with each other and with professionals in the community, and I think technology will play a great role in that.
RE: "We are investigating teaching and learning strategies that are centered around projects that are geared towards students solving a problem."
ReplyDeleteLindsay,
Inquiry-based methods, such as project-based learning, represent an excellent instructional approach for promoting literacy 2.0. Teaching in this way allows students to develop crucial 21st century skills.
This article from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) details the attributes employers seek in new hires:
https://www.naceweb.org/career-development/trends-and-predictions/job-outlook-2016-attributes-employers-want-to-see-on-new-college-graduates-resumes/
The list of attributes aligns closely with the skills students develop as a result of participating in project-based learning.
Dr. Dell
Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteI think your connection to project based learning and the connection with Literacy 2.0 is huge. As teachers we are now focused on teaching students through projects and investigation to complete a project. When students complete projects they are interweaving Literacy 2.0 skills throughout the projects. Students read, write, evaluate, view, create, along with other skills without focusing on the specific skills they are improving while they are complete their project. I think this is often a struggle for us as teachers because as your said the “education world as I knew it, no longer exists.” We know and understand how we learned as students, but now we are stretching to learn how students learn in the 21st century so we can teach them accordingly.
Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for you to be able to integrate all of the wonderful things you have learned about project based learning this coming year. I know you have worked hard to go into the training with an open mind and plan to completely transform your learning environment. I am looking forward to my PBL training at the end of the month.
I agree that twenty first venture learning is creating lessons that allow the learning to meet the objective on their own through our guidance. I often struggle with this because sometimes, I feel there's so much new information that needs to be presented. This will definitely be a learning curve for all of us as teachers. Finding a balance is still very difficult.