“You might know what they are called

The Net Generation

but how much do you really know about a 21st Century learner?”

They are ages 8-18.

They text, Skype, IM, blog, use wikis, surf the net, and

play video games.

8-10 year oldsspend almost 8 hours a day consuming media.

Most of that 8 hours is outside of the classroom. Source: A Kaiser Family Foundation Study January 2010

The amount of time children and teens spend on the computer has tripled over the last 10 years (1 hour and 29 minutes).

Source: A Kaiser Family Foundation Study January 2010

Only 38 minutes is devoted to reading a book.

Source: A Kaiser Family Foundation Study January 2010

73% of all Colorado High School seniors will graduate.

Source: Alliance for Excellent Education

Nationally, 1.3 million students leave high school without a diploma.

Source: Alliance for Excellent Education

By the year 2016, the largest English speaking country will be China.

Source: A Vision of K-12 Students Today

We need to prepare students for THEIR future not OUR past.

--Ian Jukes, educator and Futurist

“Due to rapidly changing dynamics facing the 21st Century, new skills, regardless of what they are called will be needed for every man, woman and child to address the economic, social, political and citizenship challenges that await them…

Business success will demand a workforce whose skills adapt to the needs of the future.”

--SCANS (Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) Report,

1992

They are leaving high school unprepared for a workforce that is desperate for qualified candidates!

"Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century."

-- Perelman

In fall 2009, Project Tomorrow surveyed over 1.85 million K-12 students, teachers, administrators and parents to find out how they pictured a 21st century learning environment.

Three themes for successful 21st century learning emerged.

Social-based learning

Source: Speak Up Report 2009

Students want to leverage emerging communications and collaboration.

Source: Speak Up Report 2009

Un-tethered learning

Source: Speak Up Report 2009

Students envision technology-enabled learning experiences that transcend the classroom walls and are not limited by resource constraints.

Source: Speak Up Report 2009

Digitally-rich learning

Source: Speak Up Report 2009

Students see the use of relevancy-based digital tools, content and resources as a key to driving learning productivity

Source: Speak Up Report 2009

So how do we prepare our students for their future?

Strategy # 1: Let them create

My 5th graders created videos to help solve math story problems, illustrate their personal narrative writing, and present projects.

Teachers need to stop saying, “Hand it in,” and start saying “Publish It.”

--Alan November

Strategy #2: Let them collaborate

Students created an online wiki about the Loyalists vs. the Patriots going to war to gain American independence.

The debate continued on our classroom blog.

Strategy #3: Let them communicate

Students made podcasts with Voicethread to present a research or group project and to share their stories.

Digital Media enables us to build more stages for our kids to express themselves.

-- Marco Torres

We need to replicate in the classroom the world in which students are living.

We have to move from know what learning toknow where learning.

Are your students ready for their future?

They will be if you let them create, collaborate, and communicate with technology in your classroom!

Slide # Image Source

2http://www.millennialsconference.com/ny/, http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/7080/mybannerglitter864825aeqf7.gif, http://www.leadershippost.com/2010/03/articles/generation-y/generation-y-how-millennials-are-changing-the-workplace, http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/general-discussion/38724-inventions-year-2.html, http://marketing.blogs.ie.edu/archives/category/master-in-digital-advertising-communication

3Picture Youth, “Child using Laptop” December 16, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

4Cole24, “Pick Me! Pick Me!” November 8, 2007 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution., D. Sharon Pruitt, “Retro Technicolor Icee Peace Teen Girls Free Creative Commons” October 12, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

5http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/students2/intouch/archives/2007-08/vol16_no1/01.htm, http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Skype-for-Windows/1062684717/1, Michael Surran, "Joey and April" April 13, 2001 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution., RXAphotos, “Matthew” September 1, 2007 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution., Ernst Vikne, "Already a Mac addict" February 4, 2010 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution., http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/best-games-never-made.htm

6One Laptop per Child, “Papa New Guinea: Gaire #3” June 13, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

7http://www.sustainabilityninja.com/

8http://www.ipernity.com/doc/rdavidescu/5258235/

9Shutterstock “Graduation” December 26, 2008 Creative Commons Attribution.

10http://metroneighborhoodnews.com/index.php/mnn/mutual_of_omaha_foundation_grants_help_local_organizations_make_positive_ch/

11Woodley Wonderworks, "Happy New Year" March 22, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

12http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-images-future-technology-image2543609

13Lip Jin Lee, “Day 14-Hidden treasure” January 13, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

14Lip Jin Lee, “Day 14-Hidden treasure” January 13, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

Slide # Image Source

18 http://ransomtech.edublogs.org/

19 http://www.yroma.com/2010/03/join-social-networks-and-forums-on-the-internet/

20 http://www.qut.edu.au/scitechprecinct/project/webcam.jsp

21 http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/luceneweb/caption.jsp?photoId=s77e5022

22 Luc Legay, “My Social Network” October 20, 2007 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

23 http://thedigitalstory.com/2008/07/

24 Origin unknown

25 http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/luceneweb/caption.jsp?photoId=s77e5022

26 Origin unknown

27 Brad Flickinger, "001 Students Using Technology" October 9, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

28 http://my.aegean.gr/gallery/myAegean/ARTICLES-FORUM/girl-sitting-laptop.gif.html

29 http://www.cicff.org/

30 Ivan Walsh, "Teaching Kids to Use Computers" February 12, 2010 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

31 http://blog.ccsd.k12.co.us/lpuckett/

32 Origin unknown

33 David Pham, “Mac Youngin” January 13, 2006 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

Slide # Image Source

35 http://avtecmedia.com/marketing/social-networking

36http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/103217/20110120/young-kids-technology-study-play-computer-game-operate-a-smartphone.htm

37 http://www.barbariangroup.com/topics/59

38 Origin unknown

39Sean Dreilinger, “sequoia watches nick playing lego batman on the nintendo DS” October 12, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

40 Peter Duke, "IMG_0990" February 21, 2006 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

41 http://www.bigshinyrobot.com/reviews/archives/22673

42 http://528tech.edublogs.org/

References

Alliance for Excellent Education. (2009). Understanding High School Graduation Ratesin Colorado. Retrieved from http://www.all4ed.org/files/Colorado_wc.pdf

Baker, Frank W. (2010). Media Use Statistics. Media Literacy Clearinghouse. Retrievedfrom http://www.frankwbaker.com/mediause.htm

Healy, Melissa. (May 2010). Teenage social media butterflies may not be such a badidea. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/18/science/la-sci-socially-connected-kids-20100518

Nesbitt, B. (November 2001). A Vision of K-12 Students Today. [YouTube Video].Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8

Rideout, Victoria J., Ulla G. Foehr, and Donald F. Roberts. (January 2010). GenerationM2. Kaiser Family Foundation Study. Retrieved from http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/8010.pdf

Speak Up 2009. (March 2010). Creating Our Future. Retrieved from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU09NationalFindingsStudents&Parents.pdf

Speak Up 2009. (May 2010). Unleashing the Future. Retrieved from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU09UnleashingTheFuture.pdf