Thing 5

21st century skills and strategies are being defined and redefined as we pass from this opening decade of this new era. Prophets have proclaimed that this century will require connectivity, interactivity, and collaboration (http://www.kwfdn.org/resource_library/resource.aspx?intResourceID=846 Executive Summary) to be productive in both their profession and personal endeavors. These same prophets also proclaim that the "role of the teacher has remained static" and "the core of the education institution hasn't expereinced radical innovation." This is all true, but the concept of teacher has always been one of change and innovation. After reading the seven forces that will reshape education, I believe that teachers will adapt (not just the new "digital natives" but also the "digital immigrants"). The open education (a bottom up and participatory, sociao-techinical platform for creating and sharing) is not new to teachers. Each class period students are encouraged/pushed to enter into academic dialogue to share what they observe, interpretute, create, and share. Schools have never been confined to the four walls of a classroom. Must to the surprise of my former students, I did not live in A3. On more than one occassion I have left students speechless when I have been seen at the mall or even a movie (not of the classical category). Students leave the classrooms and take with them most if not all of what had been experienced. Teachers know this when students return the next day or the next decade to share what they have applied in the real world. The new digital world allows this exchange to move beyond the physical barriers of geography and the limits of time. The article refers to this limitless classroom as an exstitution. When barriers and boundaries are expanded, a new social structure will develop. One hope is that people can begin to hear how similar we all are, thus the move to connectivity where hostility exists. One final issue with these new forces in education is the impact of neuroscience on education. The mysteries of the brain will be revealed. No longer will teachers work to understand learning disabilities, but will have the tools to intervene before gaps in knowledge grow to the point of being labeled a disability.
The future of 21st century education is being defined. Many voices and forces are making predictions, but will these prove to be the final answer. No. Teachers are adaptable. Teachers will adapt and use the digital tools to prepare students - notice that students are not using a rock tablet and chisel in classrooms today. Teachers will adapt pedagocical models to include self-direct learning (http://independentlearning.org/ILA/ila03/ila03_lamb.pdf).