Technology Elements of a 21st Century Classroom

I’ve been asked this question a lot lately: “What does a 21st Century classroom look like?” The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has an excellent framework that addresses this question from a skills standpoint, and as far as the specific tools and applications used to support 21st Century learning…well, my team and I have some ideas. For starters, we believe that the 21st Century classroom should include technology that…

1. Extends learning beyond the 4 walls to the online world (i.e. BlackBoard).

2. Engages learners in content delivery and caters to different learning styles (i.e. IWB’s).

3. Provides immediate access for students to write, analyze, share, and communicate locally and globally (i.e. netbooks, laptops, cell phones).

4. Promotes a creative learning process with the goal of practical application in a competitive global society (i.e. programming, video production, blogging, web development).

5. Facilitates assessment so teachers and students can monitor teaching and learning, and make adjustments (i.e. classroom response systems).

I think we have just scratched the surface, so we will consider this a work in progress. Share your thoughts as we continue to formulate this work.