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The concept of 21st Learning has been around since the 1990s. There was a recognition that with the pace of technological change, the jobs of the 20th Century would be unrecognisable to those living in the 21st Century. We had to prepare our students for a future of great difference and uncertainty. As a result, we needed to move towards a more independent, skills based education system rather than the model we had that was based on content knowledge and specific skills for specific jobs. Well, we are into the second decade of the 21st Century and the question has to be asked - how well have we advanced in developing 21st Century Learners?

In this post, we cover in detail the 21st century skills every student needs to master for life beyond the classroom walls, and why they are important.

Jeff Dungan's Presentation Portal - 21st Century Literacy-infusing iPads into ES literacy instruction

One of our main goals at Powerful Learning Practice is to turn educators into 21st Century educators. That is, teach them how to use social media and other powerful Web 2.0 tools to transform their classrooms into learning environments that are ready for today's iGeneration students. One of the most common questions we get is, "But where do we find the time to use all this new technology?" To answer that question, we developed this infographic - A Day in the Life of a Connected Educator to show that using social media in your classroom and in your life can be integrated, easy, and fun.

... the lecture is no longer the only way to transfer important information. "Ever since the Middle Ages, the primary vehicle for conveying information was the lecture," he said. "But this is the 21st century, and there are so many ways to convey information, it's not the necessity it once was." Students don't learn by listening, they learn by doing, 

A Visual Representation ofBloom's Taxonomic Hierarchywith a 21st Century Skills Frame.

"The BBC's picture editor Phil Coomes has a long, excellent feature on the open education photography classes offered by Jonathan Worth and Matt Johnston through Coventry University. The course is open to anyone in the world, via webcast, and runs with up to 35,000 students. The class focuses not just on technique, but on the role of photographers in the 21st century, when everyone has a cameraphone, and when controlling copies of photos on the net is an impossibility."

anticipates the future, Is a lifelong learner, fosters peer relationships, teach and assess all levels of learners, is able to discern effective vs. non-effective technology

... most schools in the U.S. are not adequately  preparing kids for success in the twenty- first century (e.g., Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2006 ) . Learning in school is still heavily geared toward the acquisition of content within a teacher-centered model, with instruction too often abstract and decontextualized and thus not suitable for this age of complexity and interconnectedness.

"How can we best prepare children and adolescents to thrive in the 21st century? This question is at the heart of what every educator attempts to do on a daily basis. Apart from imparting content of knowledge and facts, however, it's becoming clear that the "noncognitive competencies" known as grit, perseverance, and tenacity are just as important, if not more so, in preparing kids to be self-sufficient and successful."

Tweets from the recent 21st Century Learning in Hong Kong conference -- collated in a Google Doc

Article highlighting Singapore's move into 21st century learning.

"there is most certainly an extraordinary array of options for videos which expand educators' understandings and inspire advances in 21st century learning."

re-imagining learning for the 21st century - MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning

Discover the tools and techniques today's teachers and classrooms are using to prepare students for tomorrow -- and how you can get involved. What should collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking look like in a modern classroom? How can parents help educators accomplish their goals? 

"Global SchoolNet's mission is to support 21st century learning and improve academic performance through content driven collaboration. We engage teachers and K-12 students in meaningful project learning exchanges worldwide to develop science, math, literacy and communication skills, foster teamwork, civic responsibility and collaboration, encourage workforce preparedness and create multi-cultural understanding.  "