Integrating 21st Century Skills Into the Classroom

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According to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, 21st century skills are "skills that increasingly demand creativity, perseverance, and problem solving combined with performing well as part of a team."  (Larson, 2011)  Today, 21st century skills such as these are being emphasized just as much, if not more than, the "basics" including reading, writing, and math.  In this blog article, I will explore what 21st century skills are in the context of education, suggest some ways for how they can be incorporated into the classroom, and finally delve into a specific example: digital storytelling.

In the article "21st Century Skills: Prepare Students for the Future," Larson defines and explores what the term means.  The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed a framework for 21st century learning and included the following student outcomes:

1. Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes
2. Learning and Innovation Skills
3. Information, Media, and Technology Skills
4. Life and Career Skills

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Additionally, the International Society for Technology in Education has recognized that students entering the digital world need to be equipped with skills in the following areas:

1. Creativity and Innovation
2. Communication and Collaborating
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
5. Digital Citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Larson emphasizes that these skills should not be taught as a separate, extra lesson, but should rather be integrated constantly across all curricula.  All of these skills and outcomes accentuate what students can DO with their knowledge and how they can APPLY what they are learning in the real world.  Our educational textbook, Integrating Technology in a Connected World, refers to this type of learning as authentic learning, which "presents learning experiences that demonstrate real-life connections between students' lessons and the world in which they live." (Shelly, Gunter, Gunter, 364)  Utilizing authentic learning and authentic assessments in the classroom not only helps students to better understand and relate to the content they are learning, but they also develop real-world skills that can be applied outside of the classroom.  These skills include communication and collaboration, technology skills, innovative and creative thinking skills, and an ability to solve problems - all of which are 21st century skills!

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One of my favorite forms of authentic assessment that I have learned about thus far is project-based assessments, which are based on a type of learning appropriately called project-based learning.  Project-based learning "is a model for teaching and learning that focuses on creating learning opportunities for students by engaging them in real-world projects where they have an active role in completing meaningful tasks, constructing their own knowledge, solving problems, or creating realistic projects."  (Shelly, Gunter, Gunter, 365)  Students become active participants in their own learning, and teachers take on more of a facilitator role.  When project-based learning and assessments are integrated as group projects and require the use of various forms of technology, pretty much all of the 21st century skills we've been talking about are covered and encouraged!

Larson offers some of the following resources for integrating 21st Century Skills into Content Areas:

• Reading/Writing: Read Write Think provides access to practices and resources in reading and language arts instructions through free, internet-based content.
• Mathematics: National Library of Virtual Manipulatives offers online manipulatives that can be used in whole-class instruction or by individuals at their own computers.
• Science: Scientific American: Ask the Experts invites students to ask questions on any science topic.
• Social Studies: The History Channel includes a wealth of lesson plan, biographies, speeches, video clips, and information about any day in history.

One specific project-based learning/assessment example that hits on most of the 21st century skills is Digital Storytelling, which I have been learning a lot about in my education technology class.  According to the article "Digital Storytelling: A powerful technology tool for the 21st century classroom:"

"Digital storytelling is a technology application that... allows computer users to become creative storytellers through the traditional processes of selecting a topic, conducting some research, writing a script, and developing an interesting story.  This material is then combined with various types of multimedia, including computer-based graphics, recorded audio, computer-generated text, video clips, and music so that it can be played on a computer, uploaded on a web site, or burned on a dvd."  (Robin, 222)

Check out this simple example of a digital story that I made for my first graders:

Robin emphasizes that digital storytelling can be a learning experience that encompasses many of the 21st century skills that we hope for our students to gain during their primary and secondary education by improving their digital, global, technology, visual, and information literacy.  Digital stories can also be used in a variety of classroom settings and across all curricula, either for a specific subject matter or as a fully integrated project.  For example, digital stories can be used to build upon basic reading/writing skills in elementary school as students tell personal narratives about themselves or create stories about fictional characters.  Digital stories can be in the form of a book talk or oral book report about literary pieces, or an oral history of a famous historical figure.  Science students can research animals and their habitats and create a story about that or document and present findings from a science project.  Even math students could use digital stories to create interactive word problems.  

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There are a variety of free web sources and web sites that can be used for these purposes.  Some of the simpler sites include Prezi and SlideShare, which are essentially virtual slide shows.  In the article "Digital Storytelling: Using Technology to Spark Creativity," Tackvic recommends using the web sites Kerpoof and Little Bird Tales, which seem to be more specifically catered towards creating simple digital stories, as opposed to just digital presentations.  Tackvic recommends utilizing digital stories to help jump start the brainstorming process and to engage students more.  Students become more engaged with the learning content when they get to try new technology tools and share their knowledge with their classmates.  Students are also more engaged and motivated when they think they can easily find meaning and relevance in what they learning and doing - building upon their digital/technology skills will help them in their real lives and in their future careers.

 "Technology needs to be infused in the learning process in order for students to be successful in the 21st century.  When students use digital tools in the classroom, they are using tools that are used in the real world.  They do not see them the same way they perceive traditional resources... When technology is available, students have an unlimited number of resources at their fingertips."  (Tackvic, 429)

Resources

Larson, Lotta C. and Miller, Teresa Northern. (2011). 21st century skills: prepare students for the future. Kappa Delta Record, 47 (3) 121-123.

Robin, Bernard R. (2008). Digital storytelling: A powerful technology tool for the 21st century classroom. Theory Into Practice, 47  220-228

Shelly, Gary B, Gunter, Glenda A, and Gunter, Randolph E. (2012) Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology in a Connected World.  Boston, MA: Course Technology.

Tackvic, Charlene. (2012). Digital storytelling: using technology to spark creativity. The Educational Forum, 76  426-429.