The Importance of New

Literacy Skills in the 21st

Century Classroom
 Instruction
• The changes brought about by networked
communication technologies have profound
implications for instructional practices. In
education, instructors can leverage these
technologies to create dynamic and interactive
learning experiences. The ability to access a vast
array of resources, collaborate with peers globally,
and engage in real-time communication opens up
new possibilities for teaching and learning.
 Assessment

• Traditional assessment methods may need

to adapt to incorporate the skills and
competencies required in a digitally
connected world. Online assessments,
collaborative projects, and real-world
problem-solving scenarios become viable
options in the context of these technologies.
 Professional Development

• Teachers need to continually update their

skills to harness the potential of these
technologies for effective instruction. The
ability to navigate digital tools, integrate
them into the curriculum, and stay informed
about emerging trends becomes crucial for
educators in the digital age.
 Research

• Scholars and researchers can explore

new avenues of inquiry, conduct studies
on the impact of these technologies on
learning outcomes, and contribute to
the evolving field of educational
technology.
What are the new literacy
skills in the 21 century
st

classroom?
Digital Literacy Skills

• Definition: The ability to use, understand, and

navigate digital tools, platforms, and
technologies effectively.
• Importance: Essential for accessing and
evaluating information online, as well as for
using digital tools for communication,
collaboration, and problem-solving.
Media Literacy Skills

• Definition: The ability to critically analyze and

evaluate various forms of media, including
news articles, videos, images, and social
media content.
• Importance: Helps students develop a critical
eye, understand media bias, and differentiate
between credible and unreliable sources of
information.
Information Literacy Skills

• Definition: The ability to locate, evaluate, and

use information from various sources, both
online and offline.
• Importance: Enables students to conduct
effective research, discern the reliability of
sources, and synthesize information for
academic and real-world purposes.
Critical Thinking Skills

• Definition: The ability to analyze, synthesize,

and evaluate information and arguments,
making reasoned judgments.
• Importance: Essential for problem-solving,
decision-making, and understanding complex
issues in a rapidly changing world.
Collaboration Skills

• Definition: The ability to work effectively in a

team, communicate ideas, and collaborate
with others, both in person and through
digital platforms.
• Importance: Fosters teamwork,
communication, and the ability to leverage
diverse perspectives in solving problems.
Creativity and Innovation Skills

• Definition: The ability to think creatively,

generate original ideas, and apply innovative
approaches to tasks and challenges.
• Importance: Prepares students to adapt to
changing circumstances, contribute to
innovation, and think outside the box.
Communication Skills

• Definition: The ability to express ideas clearly

and effectively through various modes,
including written, verbal, and digital
communication.
• Importance: Critical for effective collaboration,
conveying information, and participating in
digital and global communication channels.
Global Awareness

• Definition: An understanding of global issues,

intercultural competence, and an awareness
of diverse perspectives.
• Importance: Prepares students to engage in a
globalized world, fostering empathy,
tolerance, and an appreciation for cultural
diversity.
Adaptability and Flexibility

• Definition: The ability to adapt to change,

learn new skills quickly, and navigate uncertain
situations.
• Importance: Equips students to thrive in a
dynamic and rapidly evolving technological
and socio-economic landscape.
Ethical Digital Citizenship

• Definition: Understanding and practicing

responsible and ethical behavior in the digital
world, including issues related to privacy,
security, and online etiquette.
• Importance: Cultivates responsible and ethical
behavior online, ensuring that students
contribute positively to digital communities.
In Summary…

• These skills collectively empower students to

be active and informed participants in the
digital age, preparing them for success in both
academic and real-world contexts. Integrating
these new literacy skills into the curriculum
helps create well-rounded learners equipped
to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
21 Century
st

Skills
What will learning look
like in the future?
Question #1

What will the world be like twenty or

so years from now when the children
who visit your institution have left
school and are out in the world?
Question #2

What skills will these children need to

be successful in this world you have
imagined twenty years from now?
Question #3

What were the conditions that made

your high-performance learning
experiences so powerful?
Question #4

What would learning be like if it

were designed around your answers
to the first three questions?
“For us to grow, we have to educate people to do jobs
that don’t yet exist, which means we have to invent
them and train people to do them at the same time. That
is harder, and it is why we need everyone to aspire to be
a creative creator or creative server.”

Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum, That Used to Be Us, pp. 137 (2011)
What are 21 st

Century Skills?
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills
P21 Strategic Council Members

http://www.p21.org
C
reativity
ollaboration
ommunication
ritical Thinking
 Basic Literacy
Visual Literacy
Creativity & Innovation
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

Learning & Innovation Skills

Scientific and Numerical Literacy

Cross-Disciplinary Thinking

Communication & Collaboration

 Media Literacy
Information Literacy

Information, Media & Technology Skills

ICT (Information, Communications & Technology) Literacy

 Flexibility & Adaptability

Initiative & Self-Direction

Social & Cross-Cultural Skills

Life & Career Skills

Productivity & Accountability

Leadership & Responsibility

 Global Awareness

Civic Literacy
Environmental Literacy

21st Century Themes

Health Literacy

Financial, Economic, Business, & Entrepreneurial Literacy

“In the 21st century…expertise is less about
having a stockpile of information or facts at
one’s disposal and increasingly about knowing
how to find and evaluate information on a given
topic”

-Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown, A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the
Imagination in a World of Constant Change (2011)
Why are 21 Century Skills
st

Important?
“All of these qualities—empathy, discipline, the
capacity to solve problems, the capacity to think
critically—these skills don’t just change how the
world sees you. They change how we see ourselves.
They allow each of us to seek out new horizons and
new opportunities with confidence—with the
knowledge the we’re ready; that we can face
obstacles and challenges and unexpected setbacks.
That’s the power of…education.”

-President Obama, remarks to Booker T. Washington Graduates,

Memphis, TN, May 16, 2011
21st Century Societal Shifts

20th Century 21st Century

10-15 jobs (US

# Jobs/Lifetime 1-2 Jobs
Dept. of Labor 2004)

Simultaneous
mastery of many
Job Requirement Mastery of one field
rapidly changing
fields
Job Competition Local Global
Non-routine;
Routine; hands-on;
Work Model technical; creative;
fact based
interactive
Institution centered; Learner centered;
forma degree self-directed, lifelong
Education Model
attainment is learning is primary
primary goal goal
Multi-directional
Organizational (bottom-up, top
Top down
Culture down, side to side,
etc.)
 What are the most important skillsets students
leaving high school need to have to thrive in college
and life?

Dennis Maple, President of ARAMARK Education, and Larry

Merlo, CEO of CVS Caremark Corporation say:

• Critical Thinking
• Creativity and innovation
• Resiliency
• Communication
• Collaboration

Morning Plenary discussion, 2012 Building a Grad Nation Summit, Washington, DC

“Today's technology-enabled, information-rich,
deeply interconnected world means learning not
only can – but should – happen anywhere, anytime.
We need to recognize these experiences, whether
the environments are physical or online, and
whether learning takes place in schools, colleges or
adult education centers, or in afterschool,
workplace, military or community settings.”

Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, at 4th Annual Launch of the MacArthur

Foundation Digital Media and Lifelong Learning Competition (9/15/11)
Recognition of Lifelong Learning

-Banks et al. “Learning in and out of school in diverse environments…” Seattle: NSF
LIFE Center and University of Washington Center for Multicultural Education. 2006.
From “Connected” to “Hyper-Connected”

Back in 2005,
“… ‘Twitter’ was still a sound, the ‘cloud’
was something in the sky, ‘3G’ was a
parking space, ‘applications’ were what
you sent to college, and ‘Skype’ was a
typo.”

From That Used to Be Us (2011) by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum

Cell Phone & Computers Increasingly Common

% Own cell phone

81
70
43

2002 2007 2010

% Use computer

50
39
32
2002 2007 2010
Based on median % across the 16 nations where 2002, 2007
and 2010 data are available. PEW RESEARCH CENTER Q62 & Q65
 National Research Council Study

Classifies 3 Domains of Competence

o The Cognitive(critical thinking,

information literacy, creativity)

o The Intrapersonal (work ethic,

flexibility, initiative)

o The Interpersonal (teamwork,

collaboration, leadership)

Image: Cover of report, Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st
Century (2012),
Center for Education, National Research Council
21 Century Students
st

and the skills they need

How can we reach these students
and prepare them for the world?
Have you ever said…

• “Our students don’t value education.”

• “They just aren’t ready when they come to
my class.”
• “I am tired of dumbing down my content.”

While these statements may be true at

times, we must also look at ourselves and
at our instructional design to help us
provide our students with the meaningful
learning we know they need.
 The differences
• Teachers
Students
 Prefer text
pictures, sound, video
 Learning
Random learning
is linear, logical, and
 sequential
Interactive
 Independent
 Collaborators and individual in their
work
Who are these digital natives &
what do they need?
• Multi-
taskers
• Like sound
and images
to convey
content
• See the
Internet as
the first
source for
information
http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/
skillsbrochure.pdf
 What do these changes
mean for education?
• Learning is a life-
long process where
adapting to change
is crucial.
• Learning how to
learn is essential to
success.
 Digital immigrants vs Digital Natives

A digital immigrant is a person who was

raised prior to the digital age. These
individuals, often in the Generation-X
generations and older, did not grow up
with ubiquitous computing or the
internet, and so have had to adapt to
the new language and practice of digital
technologies. This can be contrasted
with digital natives who know no other
world than one defined by the internet
 Digital immigrants vs Digital Natives

• A digital immigrant is a person who

grew up before the internet and other
digital computing devices were
ubiquitous—and so have had to adapt
and learn these technologies.
• Generally, those born before the year
1985 are considered to be digital
immigrants.
• Those born after 1985 are digital
natives, having grown up only in a
Our strengths as digital immigrants

As digital immigrants, we possess

effective skills when it comes to
adapting to new ways of
operating.
The advantage here is productivity:
digital immigrants are goal oriented
as opposed to the value orientation
of the digital natives. While they
have the ability to get things done
quickly they may overlook the long
Our strengths as digital immigrants

The paradox here is that digital

immigrants, for the most part,
invented the complex technologies
and systems that digital natives use
fluently – the Internet, microchips
and the ubiquitous cloud comes to
mind.
In this way, digital natives and digital
immigrants must grow to work
together and learn from each other.
 What can digital natives teach digital
immigrants?
1. To collaborate across boundaries,
with a variety of people:
• Digital natives, having grown up in an
interconnected world, often possess
strong collaborative skills. They are
adept at leveraging digital tools and
platforms to connect with others
globally. They can teach digital
immigrants the value of cross-cultural
collaboration and the ability to work
effectively with diverse teams through
What can digital natives teach digital
immigrants?
2. To make a place in life for
values:
• Digital natives may have a different
perspective on values in the digital
era. They can guide digital
immigrants in navigating the
evolving landscape of values in the
online world, emphasizing ethical
considerations, inclusivity, and
responsible use of technology.
What can digital natives teach digital
immigrants?
3. To build solutions that are
horizontal:
• Digital natives are accustomed to
non-hierarchical and decentralized
approaches to problem-solving. They
can teach digital immigrants to
explore more collaborative and
flexible methods in developing
solutions, leveraging the power of
distributed networks and open
What can digital immigrants teach
digital natives?
1. To achieve goals quickly:
• Digital immigrants, often coming
from a background where technology
was not as pervasive, may have
honed skills in efficiency and goal-
oriented work. They can share
strategies with digital natives on how
to set and achieve goals effectively,
emphasizing focus and time
management.
What can digital immigrants teach
digital natives?
2. To use focused resources in
building things to scale:
• Digital immigrants, having witnessed
the evolution of technology, can offer
insights into resource management and
scalability. They can guide digital
natives in using resources efficiently to
build sustainable and scalable
solutions, drawing on their experience
of witnessing technological
What can digital immigrants teach
digital natives?
3. To revitalize or repurpose existing
institutions:
• Digital immigrants may have
experience with traditional institutions
that have undergone technological
transformations. They can teach digital
natives how to navigate and contribute
to existing structures, bringing a fresh
perspective to revitalizing or
repurposing institutions through the
In summary…

Digital natives bring a tech-savvy

and collaborative mindset, while
digital immigrants contribute
experience, efficiency, and insights
into adapting traditional practices to
the digital age. This collaboration
fosters a holistic and well-rounded
approach to addressing challenges
and leveraging opportunities in our
 What are the
educational traits
of the digital
natives?
1. Tech Literacy:
• Digital natives are inherently
comfortable and proficient with
technology. They possess a high level
of technological literacy, which
includes the ability to navigate digital
devices, use various software
applications, and adapt quickly to new
technologies. This familiarity with
technology often extends beyond basic
use to more complex tasks, such as
coding or creating digital content.
2. Multitasking Skills:
• Digital natives are often adept at
multitasking, handling multiple sources
of information simultaneously. This trait
is influenced by their exposure to a
multimedia environment where they
engage with various forms of digital
content simultaneously, such as texting,
browsing, and watching videos.
However, it's essential to note that while
they may be skilled at multitasking, it
can also impact their ability to focus
3. Preference for Visual Learning:
• Digital natives tend to be visual
learners, as they are accustomed to
learning through images, videos, and
interactive multimedia content.
Educational materials that incorporate
visuals and multimedia elements are
often more engaging and effective for
them. This preference is a result of
growing up in an era dominated by
visual media and digital communication.
4. Collaborative and Social Learning:
• Digital natives thrive in collaborative and
social learning environments. They are
accustomed to connecting with peers
and experts online, sharing knowledge,
and collaborating on projects through
digital platforms. Group discussions,
online forums, and collaborative tools
are effective methods for engaging
digital natives in the learning process.
5. Preference for Interactivity:
• Traditional passive learning methods
may be less engaging for digital natives.
They prefer interactive and hands-on
learning experiences. Educational
technologies that incorporate
gamification, simulations, and
interactive exercises are often more
effective in capturing their attention and
fostering active participation.
6. Preference for Immediate Feedback:
• Digital natives are accustomed to
instant feedback in the digital world. In
educational settings, they may prefer
assessments and assignments that
provide prompt feedback. Online
platforms and learning management
systems that offer immediate evaluation
contribute to their learning experience.
7. Adaptability and Comfort with Change:
• Digital natives exhibit a high degree of
adaptability and comfort with change,
particularly in the realm of technology.
They are more likely to embrace new
tools and platforms, making them well-
suited for a rapidly evolving educational
landscape where the integration of
emerging technologies is common.
8. Information-Savvy and Critical Thinking:

• Digital natives are skilled in navigating

vast amounts of information available
online. However, they also need to
develop critical thinking skills to
evaluate the credibility and reliability of
sources. Educators play a crucial role in
guiding digital natives to become
discerning consumers of information.
In summary…
• The educational traits of digital natives
are shaped by their unique experiences
and interactions with technology.
Educators can leverage these traits to
create engaging and effective learning
experiences, but they also need to
address challenges such as information
overload and the need for cultivating
deep focus in the learning process.
 What are the
learning preferences
of these digital
natives?
 1. Work in Teams:

• Digital natives often prefer collaborative

learning experiences. Working in teams
allows them to leverage their social and
communication skills, which are often
honed through online interactions.
Collaborative projects, group
discussions, and team-based activities
provide digital natives with
opportunities to share ideas, learn from
diverse perspectives, and collectively
• Teamwork also aligns with
their inclination towards
social learning, fostering a
sense of community and
shared responsibility for the
learning process.
 2. Peer-to-peer Learning:
• Digital natives are accustomed to
seeking and sharing information
with their peers. Peer-to-peer
learning is a natural fit for them, as
it aligns with their collaborative and
social nature. This learning
approach involves digital natives
teaching and learning from each
other, often through informal
• Peer-to-peer learning not
only enhances their
understanding of the
subject matter but also
strengthens their
communication and
interpersonal skills.
 3. Visual and Kinesthetic Activities:
• Visual and kinesthetic learning
preferences are characteristic of
digital natives due to their exposure
to multimedia content and
interactive technologies. Visual
activities, such as infographics,
videos, and interactive
presentations, are effective in
capturing their attention and
• Additionally, incorporating
kinesthetic elements—hands-on
activities, simulations, and
interactive exercises—allows them
to engage with the learning
material in a more tactile and
experiential manner. These
approaches cater to their
preference for dynamic and multi-
 4. Learning Through Exploration:
• Digital natives often have a natural
curiosity and a desire for
exploration. Learning through
exploration involves hands-on
experiences, experimentation, and
discovery. Virtual simulations,
interactive apps, and educational
games provide avenues for digital
natives to explore and understand
concepts in a self-directed manner.
• This approach aligns with
their inclination towards
discovery-based learning,
fostering a sense of
autonomy and allowing them
to pursue areas of interest at
their own pace.
What do they need from teachers?

• Be a participant in the learning

process.
• Teach quickly and allow for several
pathways to the end result
• Use technology to extend the time
and meet individual needs
• Collaborative opportunities for
group/team projects
As a literacy teacher, how am I supposed to do
this?

My answer to you is…

one step at a time.

Add new tools to your skill

set, and work them in as
you feel comfortable.
 TASK: Reaction Paper
1. What will the world be like twenty
or so years from now when the
children who visit your institution
have left school and are out in the
world?

2. What skills will these children need

to be successful in this world you have
imagined twenty years from now?
 Part 1: Vision of the Future
• Imagining the World:
– Reflect on the changes and advancements you
anticipate in the next twenty years. Consider technological,
social, economic, environmental, and educational aspects.
Envision a future world where the children who visit your
institution have completed their education and are actively
engaged in various fields.
• Key Changes and Trends:
– Identify and describe at least three major changes or
trends that you believe will significantly shape the world in
the next two decades. Support your observations with
relevant data, statistics, or examples to illustrate the
impact of these changes.
 Part 1: Vision of the Future
• Institutional Impact:
o Discuss how these anticipated changes might
influence educational institutions like yours.
Consider how teaching methods, curriculum, and
the overall educational experience may evolve to
prepare students for the future you envision.
 Part 2: Essential Skills for Success
• Identifying Critical Skills:
– Based on your vision of the future, list and elaborate on at
least five skills that you believe will be crucial for the
children leaving school to thrive in the evolving world.
Consider a broad range of skills, including cognitive,
social, emotional, and technological competencies.
• Justification for Chosen Skills:
– Provide a rationale for each skill you have identified.
Explain why you believe these skills are essential in the
context of the future world you have imagined. Consider
how these skills align with the challenges and
opportunities that may arise.
 Part 2: Essential Skills for Success

• Integration into Education:

o Discuss how these identified skills can be
integrated into the current education system
to ensure that students are adequately
prepared for the future. Consider both
curriculum changes and innovative teaching
methodologies that can foster the
development of these skills.