Walden University Blog

There is a side benefit to this technology movement and that is the fact that we are also preparing our students for their academic future.

Higher Education has long embraced what is being touted now as 21st Century skills.

What would the model 21st century teacher look like? A model teacher should have several characteristics, (1) use up-to-date technology for learning, (2) be a learner themselves, (3) be a model 21st century skills for their students, and (4) be able to foster the skills in their students.

What would the model 21st century school look like? A model school should have several characteristics, (1) use up-to-date technology for learning, (2) foster 21st century skills among their faculty and students, and (3) be a leader in their community.

In my previous blog I suggested that we first need to be sure our schools model good use of informational technologies if we want students to use these tools effectively.  This blog expands on the idea, and shows a fundamental challenge that dates back centuries.

If we want to meet the develop good informational skills for our students, we need to be sure that we model them ourselves in our classrooms first!

Core Subjects and 21st Century Readiness

-Ken Kay, P21 President; Michael Blakeslee, Sr. Deputy Executive Director, MENC; Charlie Fitzpatrick, K-12 Education Director, Esri; Marty Abbott, ACTFL; Zipporah Miller, Associate Executive Director for Professional Programs and Conferences, NSTA; and Kent Williamson, Executive Director, NCTE.

As emphasized in the webinar, Core Subjects and 21st Century Readiness, it is necessary to fuse the core subjects and the four C’s to prepare our students for a global economy.  After viewing the webinar, an example of how to fuse the core subjects and the four C’s that comes to mind is posing a problem within a thematic unit such as “How might a certain country get more clean drinking water to the people in a specific village?”

The Framework of the 21st century skills has core subjects and 21st century themes at the center which is right where it needs to be. The 21st century learner is vastly different from those who came before him or her, and needs to have an authentic interaction with curriculum through instruction that is rigorous and grounded in real life, relevant, engaging experiences.

Students of the 21st century are often random learners who access multiple social networking websites and other media locations and get copious information. Educators must take advantage of this knowledge of the learning characteristics of students in the 21st century, and design lessons that embrace those characteristics and encourage students to use the four C’s: Critical thinking and problem solving skills, Communication skills, Collaboration skills, and Creativity and innovation skills.



Teachers must not be afraid to use technology and be willing to learn technology skills along with their students.   Today’s students are technology experts excited to help promote a 21st Century learning environment that extends the classroom walls.

The most important and critical component for effectively integrating technology into classroom instruction to increase student achievement and for  learning 21st Century Skills, is high quality, sustainable, professional development for educators. Teachers must also model the importance of responsible technology use and digital citizenship.

Educators who use technology most for instruction are those who see the significant value for their students.  Every student benefits from using technology that supports their learning needs and promotes learning 21st Century Skills.

Planning, commitment, dedication, focus, assessment, intentional, capacity  - these terms were used by the teachers and administrators of the Catalina Foothills School District to describe how this district is a 21st Century District.  It is worthy of emulation.

Since schools at every grade level live with the high stakes testing from various local, state, and federal agencies, school staffs who also receive annual report cards might be hesitant to try a new, unproven approach. What does this mean to a district?

There have been many words written on what constitutes a 21st Century school.  If you do a quick Internet search on “21st Century School” using Google  there are over 67 thousand hits.  But if the search term is “21st Century Skills” there are more than a half million hits. What does this mean to educators?

“Learning is what most adults will do in the 21st Century.” – S. J. Perleman  

How do teachers help students develop the most critical skill of knowing how to learn?  That is our job!

How do we use technology so learners work harder and more productively than teachers? 

What can we do with technology that we can't do without it?  That is the question.

At WeAreTeachers, we know that teachers are by and large some of the most technologically-savvy folks on the planet. They have to be because their students are digital natives that demand engagement on their terms. But as the use of technology in the classroom grows, new myths are being formed about the connection between teachers, technology, and 21st century skill development.