Twenty-first century education compares to traditional education in the teaching and learning process by being more valuable, creating better learning activities, and promoting enthusiasm for education within the teachers and the students. The teachers are excited to teach it, so the students are excited to learn it. It seems as though the education process is at a crossroads. Educators are scared to take that leap into completely integrating technology into the classroom, lesson plans, and activities. Some brave educators are not, and have already done so. Twenty-first century learning takes on a meaningful purpose. As Dan Brown states in his “An Open Letter to Educators,” video, “A strong education for every human being isn’t only important, it is essential” (Youtube.com). Traditional is the education of older times, it has not transformed and evolved yet, where twenty-first century education has. Twenty-first century education is almost incomparable to traditional education. Children would not interact with their learning. It was a repetitious, unfulfilled lecture that most students walked away with learning nothing. As Dan Brown says, “Education is about stoking creativity, not learning facts” (Youtube.com).
Twenty-first century learners are essentially everyone getting an education today. But more specifically, those who are engaging in the new revolution of education that has evolved into education with technology and more interaction. Those who interact with their learning and knowledge that they are taking in. As the Describing and Debunking: The Net Generation and Digital Natives editorial states, there is a generational gap that is commonly known today in the education world. Students today, are twenty-first century learners, that is students who are constantly interacting and connected, easily accessed to their information they are taking in, increasingly gaining digital knowledge and using it towards their education.
The role of twenty-first century education is to promote creativity, enthusiasm for learning, and a great experience with education to continue throughout each stage of life and to evolve along with it. How I currently use technology to learn is almost insane just thinking about it. I use my iPhone to look up any on-the-spot knowledge or piece of information I need to know. I use my computer to type up papers of my personal creativity and added researched information on the internet. I use applications on the iPhone to review common core standards, learn new vocabulary, and keep up with current news. The Television, Ipad, youtube, iPod’s, cell phones, etc., all help with learning new things and evolving knowledge and education. These tools are new, so they create a new enthusiasm and appreciation for what is being used. Games are now more commonly used for educational tools. Technology has evolved so much that there is almost no way of getting around it. Education has started to see that, and once education fully catches on to this phenomena, it will be unstoppable.
References
Brown, Dan. “An Open Letter to Educators.” Youtube.com
Describing and Debunking: The Net Generation and Digital Natives. Editorial. 2010 Blackwell Publishing limited.