21st Century Classrooms and Learners

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21st Century Classrooms and Learners

Defining a 21st Century Classroom

The term, 21st century classroom, might at first thought, seem easy to define; however, as one looks deeper, the simplicity of a definition seems at best, a challenge. Is a 21st century classroom one which houses a variety of technologies readily available to the teacher and students? Or, as might seem obvious, one in which the teacher and students are capable of utilizing the technology? On the contrary, it appears that merely being capable of utilizing technology within the classroom does not promote the transfer of learning educators hope for, or of which students are in need. “The term "21st-century skills" is generally used to refer to certain core competencies such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving that advocates believe schools need to teach to help students thrive in today's world” (How do you, 2010). To become truly literate in a 21st century classroom, it would seem both teachers and students not only need a capable, working knowledge of the technologies available to them, but also knowledge about how to utilize those devices in such a way that meaningful learning occurs inside and outside of the classroom.

Many technologies are available for classrooms and include such things as desktop and laptop computers, LCD projectors, SMART and ACTIV boards, document cameras, digital cameras and camcorders, tablet devices such as iPads, webcams, eReaders, and even computerized gaming devices. (Morrison & Lowther, 2010) With so many different technologies available, educators have their hands full trying to keep up with all the workings of these capabilities, and they are sometimes overlooked in the da...

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