May 2008 — News
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21st Century Learning: Making Technology Relevant in Today's Classrooms
"21st Century Learning" is currently the hottest catchphrase in education, but what it means has yet to be fully determined. Technology is a part of students' everyday lives, and substantial advances in technology have profoundly affected the way they learn. As a result, educators are working hard to meet the ever-evolving needs of 21st century learners. Translating the ongoing technological revolution into a learning experience is a fundamental part of that challenge.
Technology as a Standard Classroom Tool
The Nassau BOCES Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology (CIT) is on the frontline of educational technology, facilitating the integration of its various forms into the classroom. During the course of their work, CIT liaisons have learned that students are not as interested in the technology itself as they are with the experiences it provides. Chief among these is connectivity. Whether through cell phones, iPods, laptops, or desktop computers, students are connecting to the world and each other.
The world is seeing an exponential increase in online collaboration, as evidenced by the huge success of Web 2.0 and the skyrocketing popularity of social networking applications such as MySpace and Facebook. Students are processing their world through video, audio, and electronic chat. They communicate through podcasts, blogs, videoconferencing, e-mail, and text messages as a matter of daily routine. In keeping with this trend, it is becoming increasingly important for schools to provide students with a relevant environment for virtual learning.
Building Virtual Environments for K-12 Schools
In the case of technology, familiarity breeds expertise. Today's students are well versed in a multitude of computer skills and ready for the next major innovation. Yet teachers are using virtual learning environments that are not designed to meet the complex learning needs of the students who use them.
The average parent, teacher or school administrator would not think of sending a sixth-grader to college to fend for themselves, yet many districts attempt to educate their students using virtual learning environments designed for universities. This also puts a strain on teachers, who must utilize limited instructional time to retrofit these college-level platforms for use in the primary or secondary classroom.
Nassau BOCES is currently implementing a new system (Dynamic LearnSpace Studywiz Spark) designed strictly for K-12. Its pre-loaded "plug-and-play" interface is immediately ready for use in any classroom, from the primary grades through high school. The system is both relevant to 21st century learners and user-friendly for teachers, allowing more time to be devoted to instruction, rather than implementation.
