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"To achieve their full potential as adults, young people need to develop a range of skills and knowledge that facilitate mastery and application of English, mathematics, and other school subjects. At the same time, business and political leaders are increasingly asking schools to develop skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and self-management-often referred to as "21st century skills."

The field of education is undergoing a revolution precipitated by not only the rapid growth of technologies that are reshaping access to information and resources, communication, and learning, but by the demands of an evolving global economy that requires collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. "What role should a museum play as a place of learning in the 21st century?" and "What unique value will museums add to the field?"

Digital mindset seems to have become another buzzword--rather buzz-phrase to be grammatically precise--whenever the conversation (online or offline) veers toward social business, social learning, collaboration, and other 21st Century phenomenon in general.

"Alexander also has doubts about houses of higher learning. "I'm optimistic about learning, but often pessimistic about educational institutions," he says. "This is the best time in human history to be a learner. We have so much access, but college and university business models are often straining at the seams." Rather than seeing these online tools as a way to make money or replace traditional models, Alexander sees them as a way to supplement the brick-and-mortar campus experience. When he thinks of Transforming the University in the 21st Century - the title of his next book - Alexander sees places like his beloved Ann Arbor shifting but still standing."

We all have a story to tell, and so do your students! From your Kindergartener's weekend birthday party to your 12th grader's Senior Prom, your students want to talk and share. 21st century learning and the Common Core State Standards encourage today's students to move beyond basic telling and writing to recording, publishing, tweeting and blogging.