The love of learning
The pursuit of knowledge
The ability to think for oneself (individualism)
The ability to work alone (initiative)
...
The next day I turn around and get prompted by Dean Shareski are we text snobs? This question screams "21st Century Skills! 21st Century Skills! 'one more'"! Dean describes the institutions that exist around the written word and suggests we are in the midst of a digital revolution.
I am battling some ideas in my head... Why must these 19th century skills and the 21st century skills be mutually exclusive? And, if they are mutually exclusive, or at least significantly different, who are the stakeholders in this revolution?
In times like these I look to Michael Wesch for inspiration. In his text, From Knowledgable to Knowledge-able: Learning in New Media Environments Wesch describes and presents:
a teaching tool that places students as "not just as co-creators of a simulation, but as co-creators of the world itself, and the future is up to us." Wow.
One might think a quote like that would put my mind to rest aboard this 21st century soapbox, but I still have questions. How will this new vision of teaching and learning transfer into the K-12 world? Where will content go, and how will it be remembered? How will the access gap limit participation in this form of learning environment?
I wish I could come to some conclusion. I wish I had some kind of prophetic goggles that could paint a golden path for me. I move forward, knowing that the questions will continue.
