Technological Literacies
"How do you get through to those students who would rather be playing video games? Bring immersive worlds into the classroom and watch their creativity and learning take off" (Tromba, 2013, p. 20)
Children are growing up in a world where technology is changing so rapidly that our current education system must now prepare them for jobs that are constantly evolving and, in fact, may not even be invented yet. The days of traditional education that trained and prepared students for the known work force of the Industrial Age no longer exists, and we are consequently seeing a paradigm shift in education (RSA, 2010; Zhao, 2012). Learners today do not just see the world differently, but they experience the world differently as well. Educators now teach students who are digitally native, but are not necessarily digitally literate (Resnick, 2013) and whose main form of entertainment is video games (Zichermann, 2011). Instead of fighting against the technologies that play a significant and important role in children's and adolescents' lives, educators must adapt their classrooms to meet the needs of children growing up in a digital world, and to allow students to develop the 21st century skills and media literacies needed for their futures.
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In today's classrooms, environments that foster universal competencies must be created. In order to succeed in our ever-changing world, 21st century learners must be comfortable with and proficient in the following universal competencies:
1. Creativity
2. Innovation
3. Entrepreneurship
4. Critical Thinking
5. Collaboration
6. Communication
7. Character
8. Cultural and Ethical Citizenship
9. Proficiency in computer and digital technologies
(Shifting Minds, 2012)
1. Creativity
2. Innovation
3. Entrepreneurship
4. Critical Thinking
5. Collaboration
6. Communication
7. Character
8. Cultural and Ethical Citizenship
9. Proficiency in computer and digital technologies
(Shifting Minds, 2012)
In addition to a comfort with and proficiency in the universal competencies, 21st century learners must also be able to use and apply what they have learned in a different way, to allow them to create opportunities for themselves and to contribute positively to future, global societies. In order to nurture independent thinkers and learners, educators must focus on developing Core Media Literacies in children and adolescents:
1. Play (ability to manipulate surroundings to create learning)
2. Simulation (ability to learn through models of real-world processes)
3. Performance (ability to adopt identities for discovery learning)
4. Appropriation (ability to sample and remix existing media)
5. Multitasking (ability to scan environment(s) for important details)
6. Distributed cognition (ability to interact with tools that expand cognition)
7. Collective intelligence (ability to pool knowledge towards a common goal)
8. Judgement (ability to evaluate various sources)
9. Transmedia navigation (ability to follow stories and information across mediums)
10. Networking (ability to develop social/cultural skills)
11. Negotiation (ability to function in new environments/cultures)
(Jenkins, 2009)
1. Play (ability to manipulate surroundings to create learning)
2. Simulation (ability to learn through models of real-world processes)
3. Performance (ability to adopt identities for discovery learning)
4. Appropriation (ability to sample and remix existing media)
5. Multitasking (ability to scan environment(s) for important details)
6. Distributed cognition (ability to interact with tools that expand cognition)
7. Collective intelligence (ability to pool knowledge towards a common goal)
8. Judgement (ability to evaluate various sources)
9. Transmedia navigation (ability to follow stories and information across mediums)
10. Networking (ability to develop social/cultural skills)
11. Negotiation (ability to function in new environments/cultures)
(Jenkins, 2009)