Tomorrowland and 21st Century Learning: Classroom of the Future?

Over the weekend my family watched the recent movie, Tomorrowland. The message of the movie is one of dreams and hope for the future. It implies that our future is in the hands of the children of today. We must encourage our students to have a desire for a better tomorrow. 21st Century Skills are all about preparing our students for success in the future. The Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21) was founded in 2002 as a coalition of business, education, and government policymakers to stress the importance of 21st Century Skills for all students. P21’s mission is to serve as catalyst for 21st century learning to build collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders so that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a world where change is constant and learning never stops. The goal is for 21st century skills to be infused into our curriculum. Alvin Toffler once said, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who can’t read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” P21 has developed the graphic below to illustrate their framework for 21st Century Learning.

According to the P21 website, “The elements described below are the critical systems necessary to ensure 21st century readiness for every student. 21st century standards, assessments, curriculum, instruction, professional development and learning environments must be aligned to produce 21st century outcomes for today’s students.” These elements include:

• Content Knowledge and 21st Century Themes
• Learning and Innovation Skills
• Information, Media, and Technology Skills
• Life and Career Skills

Tom Whitby’s article, The Longer View: Edtech and 21st-Century Education, highlights the importance of moving our 20th Century teaching methods into the 21st Century - which includes using technology as a tool in the classroom. Whitby states, “We don't need to repurpose today's tools to make them fit a 20th century education model. We need to develop new methodology to meet the needs of 21st century learners. To change the system, we first need to change the culture.”

Whitby continues by saying that being connected as an educator can have a positive impact on our teaching. Pepper utilizes technology to help teachers collaborate with other education professionals and provide opportunity for teachers to remain on top of ever-changing educational trends and ideas. As you participate in Pepper courses, be sure to take advantage of your Pepper People Network.

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Get Social: Using the Pepper People Network

Pepper is a community of learners. Being part of this growing learning community offers extensive opportunity for collaborating and sharing. Educators are encouraged to network within the Pepper community. This allows for educators around the nation to interact, learn, share, and promote ideas with one another. 

The "People" search feature is a valuable component of Pepper. Using the “People” tab in Pepper allows the user to search and filter for others in the Pepper Community. The “People” search can be found on your main dashboard and within your course menu.

Searching from the main dashboard will allow for a broad search of all Pepper users.

Searching from within the course will return results of participants enrolled in that course.

The Pepper People search option allows users to apply filters when searching for peers. Filters for narrowing results include options such as grade level, subject matter, location, experience, and school demographics.

Search results return to the right of the search box. From there, click on another user’s name to open a new tab displaying their personal dashboard. From there, you can learn more about them, view the courses they are enrolled in, as well as review and comment on items in their course portfolio. You can also click to add other educators to your personal network.

To see who's in your network, click on “View My Network”. If another educator adds you to their network, you will receive a notification, and likewise, when you add them them. To remove an educator from your network, simply click the red “X” next to their status.

You can find more detailed information about using the Pepper People Network in your Pepper User Guide. Take advantage of this powerful feature that allows educators to collaborate, share, and learn with others from around the country. Building your personal network also allows you to share Chunks of content with others who are in your network.

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Project Based Learning: Creativity and Engagement

Engaging students in project based learning activities can provide deep learning experiences. Project based learning, according to the Buck Institute for Education (BIE), is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge. The BIE website lists the following essential elements that should be included in Project Based Learning designs:

• Key Knowledge, Understanding, and Success Skills - The project is focused on student learning goals, including standards-based content and skills such as critical thinking/problem solving, collaboration, and self-management.
• Challenging Problem or Question - The project is framed by a meaningful problem to solve or a question to answer, at the appropriate level of challenge.
• Sustained Inquiry - Students engage in a rigorous, extended process of asking questions, finding resources, and applying information.
• Authenticity - The project features real-world context, tasks and tools, quality standards, or impact – or speaks to students’ personal concerns, interests, and issues in their lives.
• Student Voice & Choice - Students make some decisions about the project, including how they work and what they create.
• Reflection - Students and teachers reflect on learning, the effectiveness of their inquiry and project activities, the quality of student work, obstacles and how to overcome them.
• Critique & Revision - Students give, receive, and use feedback to improve their process and products.
• Public Product - Students make their project work public by explaining, displaying and/or presenting it to people beyond the classroom.

During the 2013-2014 school year, Elizabeth Forward Middle School created a DREAM Factory by combining art, technology education, and computer science. In this project, students became entrepreneurs where they worked in teams to design, create, and market a new candy bar. Their final project was the creation of a 30 second commercial marketing their candy bar and their company that created it. This project, highlighted in the Edutopia blog, Finding the Sweet Spot: Creativity, Candy, and Commerce, is a bright example of well-designed and implemented Project Based Learning.
Project Based Learning has the potential to develop deeper learning and understanding for students, thus better preparing them for College and Career Readiness goals. (http://bie.org/about/why_pbl). Implementing this approach in the classroom requires a change in methods and preparation for teachers, but the result of student engagement and learning is often worth it.
Many of the courses available through Pepper will provide a foundation of understanding that will allow teachers to move toward a Project Based Learning classroom approach. Check out our wide range of Pepper Courses and our Pepper Resource Library to further your own professional growth.
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