21st Century Learners
& Literacies
2009 Summer Literacy Institute
Hamline University
Scott Schwister
http://higheredison.wordpress.com

GUIDING QUESTIONS

How are students changing?
GUIDING QUESTIONS

How are students changing?
GUIDING QUESTIONS
How are texts changing?

How are texts changing?
(Are they?)

What is literacy?

Web 1.0
read-only
static
consumer

Web 1.0
read-only
static
consumer
Web 2.0
read-write
dynamic
creator

Human Graph!

The Machine is Us/ing Us

what is
21st century
literacy?

How are students changing?
(Are they?)

Letter from Camp 2.0

inherent characteristics

external influences
inherent characteristics

A Vision of Students Today

external influences
evolving responses
inherent characteristics

Meet Kim Cofino
• 21st Century
Literacy Specialist
• International School B
• Blog:
Always Learning

21st century learners

life
outside
the classroom

always on

interaction is expected

social

highly customized experiences

increasingly digital

constantly
connected

instant access

producers
+
consumers
prosumers

their average classroom
experience

what do 21st century learners experience
in your classroom?

learners

learners literacies

effective learners

effective learners are…
lifelong
learners

effective learners are…
natural navigators

effective learners are…
critical thinkers and evaluators

effective
communicators & creators

effective communicators & creators are…
able to create something new

effective communicators & creators are…
able to communicate across
culture, time & distance

effective communicators & creators are…

effective global collaborators

effective global collaborators are…
able to collaborate to reach
common
goals

effective global collaborators are…
able to lead or follow

effective global collaborators have…
no boundaries

What does this mean for
teaching and learning?

next steps
read
Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful
Web Tools for the Classroom
Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century
A Whole New Mind

next steps
read more
Will Richardson, Weblogg-ed
KimCofino, always learning
Doug Belshaw, dougbelshaw.com/blog

next steps
read even more
Educational Leadership (March 2009)
Digital Youth Project
The 21st Century Learner wiki
Literacy Discussion wiki

next steps
watch
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
Information R/evolution
A Vision of K-12 Students Today

next steps
standards & frameworks
ISTE NETS-S
IRA/NCTE Standards
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies

next steps
join
Classroom 2.0 Ning
NCTE Ning

big big thanks
to Kim Cofino for sharing
and encouraging remixing.
Visit her excellent blog, Always
Learning, at
http://mscofino.edublogs.org/

Image Sources (Creative Commons License):
Dangling Colors: http://flickr.com/photos/yanivg/52124840/
Honey, courtesy Scott McLeod: http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/02/a-taste-of-honey.html
Girl with computer: : http://flickr.com/photos/kamaji/1434567124/
Lights and the City: http://flickr.com/photos/diankarl/2970686837/
Blue Sky Over Monday Morning: http://flickr.com/photos/guitrento/2564986045/
NY at Night: NY at night: http://flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/497814516/
Swing: http://flickr.com/photos/mcmorr/1294684803/
Bumper Cars: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwalker71/2637125074/
Sunset playing: http://flickr.com/photos/nattu/895220635/
Puzzle piece: http://flickr.com/photos/blackbutterfly/3082335820/
Baby with iPhone: http://flickr.com/photos/paulm/1584418819/
Connected: http://flickr.com/photos/crash-candy/2347430057/
Touch Sensitive: http://flickr.com/photos/pranavsingh/1196494552/
Camera: http://flickr.com/photos/ssh/12638218/
Blindfold: http://flickr.com/photos/foxtongue/2657434642/
Finger point: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutter/105497713/
Question mark: http://flickr.com/photos/oberazzi/318946369/
ISB21: http://isb21.wikispaces.com
Steering Wheel: http://flickr.com/photos/paulvaarkamp/865876994/
Statue: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usagent/261743402/
Orienteering in Venice: http://www.flickr.com/photos/_cristina/2252226613/
Big eyes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/borghetti/43058749/
Birds on wire: http://flickr.com/photos/suckamc/5388273/
Painted girl: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beija-flor/867886652/
Hieroglyphics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/practicalowl/1331640797/
Think outside the box: http://flickr.com/photos/jimfrazier/525695141/
NASA: http://flickr.com/photos/pingnews/491430005/in/photostream/
Ants: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/1584818205/
Fish: http://flickr.com/photos/brujamavi/2824076847/
Sunset: http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnight-digital/2352150031/
We eat light: http://flickr.com/photos/b-tal/117037943/
Rubik's cube: http://flickr.com/photos/nataliejohnson/237529176/
Open road: http://flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/2049233526/
Gadgets: http://flickr.com/photos/slipstreamjc/748716731/
Mountain Climber: http://flickr.com/photos/ilker/2493908947/
Audience: http://flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/174586756/
Web: http://flickr.com/photos/ecstaticist/322023870/
Graffiti Body Outlines: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zen/3978223/

contact me
Scott Schwister
sschwister@gmail.com
http://higheredison.wordpress.com