The basic premise of the article is that 21st century learning is about more than ‘content’. It also includes learning how to think, lead, collaborate, and use the tools now available thanks to technology. I would imagine this premise comes as dismay to educators already overwhelmed about the amount of content that needs to be delivered. Yet, here is the reality, as pointed out by the authors: “Schools can either capitalize on young people’s affinity for technology or fail to engage them in learning and be perceived as more and more irrelevant.”

Consider with the authors the three primary components of 21st century learning – (1) the tools – includes hardware such as a laptops and digital cameras, but also online resources, (2) strategies, primarily the use of differentiated instruction and project-based learning, and (3) assessments (such as formative, performance and e-portfolios) that are seen as impetus for evaluating and then improving instruction (less focus on individual scores and more focus on how we can improve delivery). 

The article is an excellent overview of 21st century learning, and can stir up the “possibility thinking” within you. What can we do in our classrooms to mirror what is described in this article? It is certainly a daunting task.

Even though a technology glitch can result in lost grades, other kinds of technology can act as a back-up. For example, if all the teachers in a school were able to make digital publishing tools available to students so that each pupil could maintain a digital portfolio of work in a variety of formats and a variety of locations (i.e., Moodles, blog posts, wikis, websites, podcasts, et cetera), the likelihood of losing everything would be minimized. There would always be artifacts of student learning handy if assessment and grading had to be revisited. In the event of a loss of grades, the availability of well-understood rubrics and examples of student work would mitigate a great deal of anxiety.

If you were looking for another reason to justify the use of blogs or other online means of assessment, here is another reason worth considering.