This session focuses on two areas – Literacy and Learning. You may notice that, unlike our AISI statement, I refer to literacy in the singular. I agree that both literacy and learning have changed in the 21st Century, but I suggest it is more of an evolution. Literacy still means the same as it always has, but the tools and skills necessary to be literate is different. The way our brain learns hasn’t changed, but our understanding of the process and the resources we have available has greatly improved. This session looks at the evolution of literacy and learning in the 21st Century.
Literacy in the 21st Century
Remember when literacy consisted of the three R’s? It’s too bad educational society does not have an agreed upon catch-phrase for the evolution of literacy. David Warlick’s article “Stop Integrating Technology” from 2003 is a great place to start. From there, we can explore how critical thinking has changed with Andrew Churches’ article “Bloom’s Taxonomy Blooms Digitally” and discover ways to achieve those skills in our classroom.
Learning in the 21st Century
Wow, there are a lot of new tools available for learning, both for us as professionals and for our students. The NSCD has a great article in their Tools for Schools publication written by Valerie Von Frank called “Link Up and Learn” to help us identify some of the new ways to learn. It is geared toward creating a personal learning network, but has applications for our network and the classroom.
