21st Century Skills and Digital Literacy
In the 21st century, there is a push for schools to develop the digital literacy skills of students through the incorporation of technologies into the classroom. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have already been present in the majority of classrooms in Australia for some time, and so the benefits as well as challenges associated with technology-assisted learning have come to light.
The Framework for 21st Century Learning (P21, 2016) outlines skills and support systems required by students for success in the workforce and as citizens of a global community. Included in this framework are skills required for digital literacy; including the ability to access the vast amount of information made available by modern technology, the ability to navigate the rapidly and continually changing tools as current technologies grow and shift, as well as the ability to collaborate effectively with others. The Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for Young Australians (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008) state that with the continued advances in ICTs, there is a greater demand on students to further develop skills needed to share, use and process such technologies. The declaration also emphasises the need to increase the effectiveness of ICT already employed in learning.
The video, Singapore's 21st-Century Teaching Strategies, highlights some of the key benefits of the integration of technologies in classrooms. Adrian Lim, principal of Ngee Ann Secondary School, puts forward the simple but effective argument that technology makes learning more fun. It engages students using a format that they are comfortable with and are typically proficient at. The incorporation of mobile phone, iPads, Smartboards, and social media have already been shown to develop learning and motivate students (Saine, 2012). In the video, Singapore's 21st-Century Teaching Strategies, students are seen using a variety of technologies in a classroom setting, including simulation technology to explore virtual galleries and social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter. Lim states that such technology transforms learning into a participatory culture, which calls for collaboration among students, who are able to directly engage in the content through such simulations and then share the knowledge they gain via social media platform. In addition to these benefits, technology has been shown to assist students with conditions that affect their learning ability. Touch-screen tablets, for example, can help students with limited fine-motor skills (Shah, 2011).
In contrast, the Waldorf School of the Peninsula have classrooms that are completely free of technology (CNN, 2012). It's philosophy is to first teach the basic skills, like social interaction and encourages the use hands-on tasks as a tool for learning. Small and Vorgan (2008) state that although technology in education has the potential increase motivation and creativity, it has also been associated with the rise in attention deficit disorder (ADD) diagnoses and increased social isolation of youth. The educators at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula believe that a technology-free educations allows for a more natural, slow-paced development of students without distractions. The school is situated in Silicon Valley, nicknamed such due to it being the home of many of the world's largest high-technology corporations. Some parents of the students, who work in the technology industry themselves, believe that the understanding of the science behind the technology need to be learnt prior to its use because that is how they were taught.
Similarly, in a report from the CBS (CBS, 2014), it was discussed that technology should be limited in education to create a more well-rounded learning experience. Not only are there arguments that question the impact technology can have on intellectual development, there are increasing concerns of its physical impact. The CBS report cited a study that associated technology with damage to vision. Rideout et al. (2010) indicated that adolescents in the US spent an average of 7.4 h every day, 7 days a week with media devices. Such high levels of exposure can have adverse physical implications, including reduced physical activity and higher risk of obesity. Students with access to the Internet also have a greater chance of being cyber bullied, which can lead to anxiety and depression (Marr and Field, 2001).
Lim, however, focuses on technologies positive impact on education, insisting that with the incorporation of ICTs in schools, students are no longer just consumers of knowledge, but also contributors. The role of the teacher as well as the student is transformed by technology, in that teachers are no longer the primary sources of information but instead act as facilitators, helping students to discern what information is relevant and reliable. Reverse or reciprocal mentorship (November, 2010) is a concept associated with the introduction of technology into classrooms, where a younger person teaches a more experienced person and this, in turn assists both people. The majority of current teachers did not grow up with technology and so via the reverse mentorship concept, actually benefit from the knowledge of students.
Technology is unavoidable in the 21st century, in both the work force and day to day lives, and so needs to be addressed in current schooling curriculums to ensure that students have the skills required to be digitally literate. Although there are a myriad of benefits already being seen with the incorporation of technologies into classrooms, the challenges that it presents calls for the careful monitoring by teachers to ensure that there is a balance of technology with other education resources.
References
CBS. (2014). More Silicon Valley Parents Limiting Kids’ Exposure To Technology. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGbtRhIxbCs
CNN. (2012). Silicon Valley school with no computers. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUxLKik3zNA.
Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21). (2016) Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework
Rideout, V., Foehr, U. G., & Roberts, D. F. (2010). Generation M: Media in the lives of 8–18 year olds. Menlo Park, CA: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved from http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/2013/01/8010.pdf
Saine, P. (2012). iPods, iPads, and the SMARTboard: Transforming literacy instruction and student learning. New England Reading Association Journal, 47(2), 74–79.
Small, G., & Vorgan, G. (2008). iBrain: Surviving the technological alteration of the modern mind. New York, NY: Harper.
Marr, N., & Field, T. (2001). Bullycide: Death at playtime. Wantage, England: Wessex Press.
Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for Young Australians. Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf
November, A. (2010). Empowering students with technology (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
The Framework for 21st Century Learning (P21, 2016) outlines skills and support systems required by students for success in the workforce and as citizens of a global community. Included in this framework are skills required for digital literacy; including the ability to access the vast amount of information made available by modern technology, the ability to navigate the rapidly and continually changing tools as current technologies grow and shift, as well as the ability to collaborate effectively with others. The Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for Young Australians (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008) state that with the continued advances in ICTs, there is a greater demand on students to further develop skills needed to share, use and process such technologies. The declaration also emphasises the need to increase the effectiveness of ICT already employed in learning.
The video, Singapore's 21st-Century Teaching Strategies, highlights some of the key benefits of the integration of technologies in classrooms. Adrian Lim, principal of Ngee Ann Secondary School, puts forward the simple but effective argument that technology makes learning more fun. It engages students using a format that they are comfortable with and are typically proficient at. The incorporation of mobile phone, iPads, Smartboards, and social media have already been shown to develop learning and motivate students (Saine, 2012). In the video, Singapore's 21st-Century Teaching Strategies, students are seen using a variety of technologies in a classroom setting, including simulation technology to explore virtual galleries and social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter. Lim states that such technology transforms learning into a participatory culture, which calls for collaboration among students, who are able to directly engage in the content through such simulations and then share the knowledge they gain via social media platform. In addition to these benefits, technology has been shown to assist students with conditions that affect their learning ability. Touch-screen tablets, for example, can help students with limited fine-motor skills (Shah, 2011).
In contrast, the Waldorf School of the Peninsula have classrooms that are completely free of technology (CNN, 2012). It's philosophy is to first teach the basic skills, like social interaction and encourages the use hands-on tasks as a tool for learning. Small and Vorgan (2008) state that although technology in education has the potential increase motivation and creativity, it has also been associated with the rise in attention deficit disorder (ADD) diagnoses and increased social isolation of youth. The educators at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula believe that a technology-free educations allows for a more natural, slow-paced development of students without distractions. The school is situated in Silicon Valley, nicknamed such due to it being the home of many of the world's largest high-technology corporations. Some parents of the students, who work in the technology industry themselves, believe that the understanding of the science behind the technology need to be learnt prior to its use because that is how they were taught.
Similarly, in a report from the CBS (CBS, 2014), it was discussed that technology should be limited in education to create a more well-rounded learning experience. Not only are there arguments that question the impact technology can have on intellectual development, there are increasing concerns of its physical impact. The CBS report cited a study that associated technology with damage to vision. Rideout et al. (2010) indicated that adolescents in the US spent an average of 7.4 h every day, 7 days a week with media devices. Such high levels of exposure can have adverse physical implications, including reduced physical activity and higher risk of obesity. Students with access to the Internet also have a greater chance of being cyber bullied, which can lead to anxiety and depression (Marr and Field, 2001).
Lim, however, focuses on technologies positive impact on education, insisting that with the incorporation of ICTs in schools, students are no longer just consumers of knowledge, but also contributors. The role of the teacher as well as the student is transformed by technology, in that teachers are no longer the primary sources of information but instead act as facilitators, helping students to discern what information is relevant and reliable. Reverse or reciprocal mentorship (November, 2010) is a concept associated with the introduction of technology into classrooms, where a younger person teaches a more experienced person and this, in turn assists both people. The majority of current teachers did not grow up with technology and so via the reverse mentorship concept, actually benefit from the knowledge of students.
Technology is unavoidable in the 21st century, in both the work force and day to day lives, and so needs to be addressed in current schooling curriculums to ensure that students have the skills required to be digitally literate. Although there are a myriad of benefits already being seen with the incorporation of technologies into classrooms, the challenges that it presents calls for the careful monitoring by teachers to ensure that there is a balance of technology with other education resources.
References
CBS. (2014). More Silicon Valley Parents Limiting Kids’ Exposure To Technology. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGbtRhIxbCs
CNN. (2012). Silicon Valley school with no computers. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUxLKik3zNA.
Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21). (2016) Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework
Rideout, V., Foehr, U. G., & Roberts, D. F. (2010). Generation M: Media in the lives of 8–18 year olds. Menlo Park, CA: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved from http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/2013/01/8010.pdf
Saine, P. (2012). iPods, iPads, and the SMARTboard: Transforming literacy instruction and student learning. New England Reading Association Journal, 47(2), 74–79.
Small, G., & Vorgan, G. (2008). iBrain: Surviving the technological alteration of the modern mind. New York, NY: Harper.
Marr, N., & Field, T. (2001). Bullycide: Death at playtime. Wantage, England: Wessex Press.
Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for Young Australians. Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf
November, A. (2010). Empowering students with technology (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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