Technology in Education: A 21st Century Classroom Plan

Mission Statement: Technology and 21st Century Learning

The Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21) contends that 21st century learning, no matter where it takes place, should accomplish a set of primary and secondary objectives. P21 recognizes that the use of technology cannot be ignored and that technology within the classroom should be both interactive and educational. The four primary objectives 21st century learning should achieve are: Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes; Learning and Innovation Skills; Information, Media, and Technology Skills; and Life and Career Skills (P21, 2012).

These objectives acknowledge that some elements of education should not change. Core subjects remain critical components of formal education. At the same time, the objectives recognize that the world has become a different landscape — socially, culturally, economically, and technologically — and that younger generations should therefore be educated in 21st century themes. The technology that has transformed the world grew from the curious and innovative nature of humanity. It follows that navigating the consequences of technology, while continuing the tradition of innovation, requires using technology to nurture and expand upon students' innovation skills and learning abilities.

Thanks to the emergence of new technological tools, educators can offer students a more authentic learning experience based on experimentation and action. As Lombardi explains, "With the help of the Internet and a variety of communication, visualization, and simulation technologies, large numbers of undergraduates can begin to reconstruct the past, observe phenomena using remote instruments, and make valuable connections with mentors around the world" (2007, p. 2).

Educators can use technology in the classroom to improve learning outcomes. Information and media literacy are increasingly prominent issues in 21st century education. There is an abundance of information available to students and educators alike, yet there is a disproportionate capacity to navigate the deluge of information and to effectively identify quality sources. Technology can assist in addressing this gap. This is the mission and vision guiding the use of technology in a Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan (CCTP).

A well-developed CCTP would include many elements. A classroom website could host students' work, lesson plans, pictures and videos of learning activities, and other classroom artifacts. A classroom email address would allow parents, guardians, and relevant community members to contact educators. This address could also serve as a channel for students to communicate with peers in other cities, states, and countries. All materials posted online should also be available in paper form, since technical difficulties should never be permitted to impede the learning process. Technology supports education; education's existence is not contingent on technology.

Communication Plan Overview

A mobile application connected to the classroom website would be a valuable addition to the CCTP. Mobile technology is a defining theme and reality of the 21st century. Many students already own mobile devices, and many schools are moving toward mobile-based instruction — including innovative programs in which all students and teachers use tablets. The classroom website would include blogs written by both the teacher and the students, with links to other classes, educators, schools, and community members directly relevant to the curriculum and to students' interests. The design of educational games represents another technological dimension of the CCTP. Throughout, the guiding principle remains that technology is a tool in service of education, not a replacement for it.

The CCTP also integrates the themes and objectives outlined by P21. Perspectives on the classroom environment and the role of technology in enriching it have shifted considerably in the 21st century. As the decades progress, leading professionals in education, communication, and information technology continue to offer insight into how technology can improve the quality of learning for young people.

A central demand of the CCTP is that technology used in education must be fundamentally interactive. Interactivity is one of the defining features of 21st century life and technology. When educators employ genuinely interactive technology in the classroom, students engage more deeply with one another, with the curriculum, with the teacher, with their environment, and with their own education. This connection to the curriculum fosters authentic forms of experiential learning. As Lombardi writes:

"Connection-building will require new forms of authentic learning — forms that cut across disciplines and bring students into meaningful contact with the future employers, customers, clients, and colleagues who will have the greatest stake in their success. Without a doubt, technology will play an essential supporting role." (2007, p. 2)

Interactivity and Authentic Learning

The CCTP also requires that classroom technology make learning more social, fostering both independence and interdependency, as well as interactivity within one's physical and virtual community. By integrating a perspective aligned with Lombardi's approach, technology can help achieve the objectives set out by P21 — providing education in core concepts as well as 21st century themes such as virtual culture, networking, and research. As Lombardi argues:

"With access to online research communities, learners are able to gain a deeper sense of a discipline as a special 'culture' shaped by specific ways of seeing and interpreting the world. They begin to grasp the subtle, interpersonal, and unwritten knowledge that members in a community of practice use — often unconsciously — on a daily basis. Learning becomes as much social as cognitive, as much concrete as abstract, and becomes intertwined with judgment and exploration, just as it is in an actual workplace." (2007, p. 2)