21st century digital learners have previously unheard of opportunities to engage in authentic, connected learning facilitated by communication technology and the prevalence of increased technology in their everyday lives. While it would be wrong to ignore huge and documented inequities regarding access to technology and to suggest all students have the same frequent relationship with technology in their everyday lives or to the same extent in all schools (Jenson, Dahya & Fisher, 2014), it is generally easier for students than ever before to connect with others around the world, collaborate on projects with others who share their passions, and find answers to their questions. Voogt, Erstad, Dede and Mishra in “Challenges to learning and schooling in the digital networked world of the 21st century” acknowledge this phenomenon, arguing that as one of the “core competencies for the 21st century,” digital literacy regarding information and communication technologies (ICT) is central to contemporary learners’ needs (Voogt et. al., 2013). While there are certain core skills involved in digital literacy and ICT, at the heart of effective teaching in the 21st century is a student-centred approach to education which involves understanding how technology is present in the lived experiences of students. Cathy Burnett and Guy Merchant in “The Challenge of 21st-Century Literacies” outline nine principles that supporting the growth of 21st century literacies, drawing from ICT, multimodality, and the blurred line between independent and school related learning, stating that,
Promoting 21st-century literacies does not involve replacing one set of learning goals with another. It does, however, necessitate a recognition that resources for communication are richer, more diverse, and more flexible than before. (2015)
The nine principles Burnett and Merchant suggest in order to support this approach to education are:
- Recognize and build on students’ repertoires of textual practice;
- Acknowledge the role of multimodality in meaning making;
- Encourage improvisation and experimentation as well as the need to produce intelligible texts;
- Recognize the affective, embodied, and material dimensions of meaning making;
- Promote collaboration around and through texts in negotiating meaning;
- Generate opportunities for students to engage with others in a variety of ways with and through texts;
- Provide contexts for exploring how texts position self and other;
- Ensure opportunities for producing and consuming texts in safe and supportive contexts;
- Acknowledge the changing nature of meaning making. (2015)
The principles Burnett and Merchant suggest are supported by research conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Education (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014), but Voogt et. al still outline concerns regarding discrepancies between research and practice where “collaboration, communication, digital literacy, citizenship, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and productivity are essential for living in and contributing to our present societies” (Voogt et. al., 2015). However, “although teachers find 21st century learning important, they do not promote 21st century learning in their instruction” because teachers are not necessarily prepared to meet the demands of increasingly diverse learners and their needs. In this sense, both students and teachers need to be partners in the 21st century learning process, as both students and teachers require the ability to adapt to changing technologies, modes of communication, and different ways authentic learning can occur both in and outside conventional classroom settings. Because widespread change is occurring at such an accelerated rate, students must be prepared for jobs that may not exist yet, and will take on multiple professional roles in their lifetime. This makes maintaining a growth mindset and self-motivation a significant component of 21st century learning for both students and teachers, where teachers must work alongside their students to develop co-constructed learning opportunities through technology using materials that might be new to teachers and students alike.
An example of technology that helps in supporting 21st century learning, and something that I used during one of my teaching practicums, are drawing tablets connected to networked computers. As an art teacher I had the opportunity to provide 1:1 drawing lessons for a student with muscular dystrophy. Because of the details of his condition, varying the pressure used on a pencil was very challenging for him. However, the drawing tablets not only helped accommodate this challenge, but also opened up opportunities for collaboration with other students. This student drew things on the drawing tablet, and it was connected to other computers so other students could collaborate on his drawings with him. This student was self-motivated, and had the opportunity because of technology to collaborate in authentic ways with his peers to create something dynamic while working towards personal artistic goals.
Works Cited
Burnett, C. & Merchant, G. (2015). Challenge of 21st Century Literacies. Journal of Adolescent
& Adult Literacies, 59(3), 271-274.
Jenson, J., Dahya, N. & Fisher, S. (2014). Valuing production values: a ‘do it yourself’ media
production club. Learning, Media and Technology, 39(2), 215-228
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2014). 21st Century Teaching and Learning: What Research
Tells Us. Retrieved from: https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/memos/
feb2014/ResearchTellsUs.pdf
Voogt, J., Erstad, O., Dede, C. & Mishra, P. (2013). Challenges to Learning and Schooling in the
Digital Networked World of the 21st Century. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning,
29, 403-413.
