Prepare your students with the thinking skills needed to flourish in an information-rich society.
We know that students need to be prepared to learn and work in the new 21st century environment. The most important thing for teachers to remember, however, is that our students of today take to technology like fish to water. This is not a chore, but a huge and very rewarding adventure for all of us. Bring on the Read/Write Web in all of our K-12 classrooms!
Here is an example: Fourth Grade Blog at Jackson-Via Elementary School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
… The challenge for our education system is to leverage the learning sciences and modern technology to create engaging, relevant, and personalized learning experiences for all learners that mirror students’ daily lives and the reality of their futures. In contrast to traditional classroom instruction, this requires that we put students at the center and empower them to take control of their own learning by providing flexibility on several dimensions. A core set of standards-based concepts and competencies should form the basis of what all students should learn, but beyond that students and educators should have options for engaging in learning: large groups, small groups, and work tailored to individual goals, needs, interests, and prior experience of each learner. By supporting student learning in areas that are of real concern or particular interest to them, personalized learning adds to its relevance, inspiring higher levels of motivation and achievement.
In addition, technology provides access to more learning resources than are available in classrooms and connections to a wider set of “educators,” including teachers, parents, experts, and mentors outside the classroom. On-demand learning is now within reach, supporting learning that is life-long and life-wide Bransford et al., 2006. …
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