1

21stCenturyEducation:WhoistheRealLearner? IntegratingTechnologytoPromoteHigherLevelThinking AutumnElrod NorthernIllinoisUniversity

Abstract The literature in review presents scholarly discussion surrounding the question of who the real learners are inthedigitalage.Itpresentsresearchdataandacademicdiscussionofthenecessaryskillsfora21st century learning experience. Literature used in this review was crosscultural and representative of survey, observational, and longitudinal methods. Information and Communications Technology in connection to higherlevel thinking were central themes in the literature, revealing interesting findings about what the real learners are lacking. The results of the review suggested a need to develop inquirybased teaching, where teachers are able to explicitly teach 21st century skills through experiences that involve technology.Teachersneedstructured practiceandtrainingusinginquirymodels that engage students. Overall, the literature suggested that teachers are truly the learners in regards to newtechnology,terminology,andpossibilitiesofwhatinquirybasedlearningcouldentail.

Introduction Effectivetechnologyintegrationhasbeenaproblematiccomponentofschoolsystemssincethe turnofthecentury.Academicresearchershaveusedgovernmentgrantmoneyyearafteryearto understandtheuseoftechnologytoolsinschoolsettingsandhowtheyareorarenotbeingused(Casto, Taylor,&Walls,2004Corn,2010ParandWard,2011).Duringthisperiodofongoingresearch, informationtechnology(IT)hasexponentiallychangedintermsofsocialnetworking,videostreaming, andfilesharing(Crockett,Jukes,&McCain,2011).Societyhasagreedthatschoolsystemshavea responsibilitytoeducatestudentsusing21stcenturyskills,asdescribedbyStateEducational TechnologyDirectorsAssociation(SEDTA,2011).Researchersintheliteraturereviewofthecurrent paperhaveconductedobservationalstudies,surveys,andstatisticalexaminationsofschoolsettingsin theUnitedStates,England,andTurkey.Thisliteraturereviewexamines21stcenturyeducation,teacher capabilityregardinginstructionaltoolsandtheroleofdistrictleaders.Interestingfindingsrevealwhothe reallearnersareintheprocessofshiftingtowarda21stcenturyeducation.Thefinaldiscussion summarizestheskillsthatlearnersaremissingandsuggestsresearchneededtomovebeyondlearning phasesandintotheintegrationphases.

LiteratureReview

21stCenturyEducation Accordingtoresearch,technologyintegrationisabroadtermthatisabstractandvaries betweenschools(Corn,2010).AstudysupportedbyTechnologyInnovationChallengeGrantwinners suggestedthatintegrationmeantplanningexperiencesthatintentionallyconsideredtheconstructivist approach(Castoetal.,2004).HollomanandSugardescribedintegrationasusingInformation CommunicationTechnologys(ICT)competencyplanbeingawareoftechnologyandhowtomaximize thattechnologyforstudentlearning(2009).Neitherdefinitionofferedaclearmodelofhowtointegrate technologysincenomajorchangeoccurredbetweentimesofpublicationinthemajorityschoolsystems. Outsideoftheclassroomhowever,digitalnativeswereconstructingtheirownviewsthrough explorationofwhatexisted.Sometimes,contentthatstudentsofthe21stcenturypursuedfurther involvedalessonorideafromschool(Castoetal.,2004Crocketetal.,2011Par&Ward,2011 Williams,2008).Literaturesuggestedthattechnologyuseoutsideoftheclassroomwasdeliberate practicewhenthestudentsoughttheopinionfromamoreexperiencedusertobecomeefficient (Rotherham&Willingham,2010).Inaworldwheretechnologyhadalwaysexisted,Williamsdefined Web2.0toolsasbeingthesecondgenerationofMicrosoftWord(2008).Web2.0toolsrangefrom blogs,mediasharingsites,virtualwords,tosocialnetworking.Allofwhichallowcreationand rightbrainactivity(Sparapani,20002008).Crocketetal,suggestedstudentssolveoneproblemand createanothertoinvestigate(2011). Researchershavesuggested21stcenturylearnersareinquirybasedmetacognitivelyselecttools thatmakesenseforthetaskathand,andrealizewhenthepresenceorabsenceoftechnologiesina lessonareadistraction(Castoetal.,2004Li,2007Edmonds&Thorpe,2010Parr&Ward,2010 Sparapani,2008).Literaturedescribedthe21stcenturylearnerasanindependentthinker,readyto

exploremeaningfulcontent(Crocketetal.,2011Parr&Ward,2010).Essentialconnectionsbetween tools,skills,andpedagogythatdefinedthe21steducationaredescribedinthefollowingparagraphs. Theliteraturereviewedinthispaperfocusedonaframeworkforstudentcenteredlearningand higherlevelthinkingInformationProcessingskills(Berkowitz,2010Hamidi,F.,Jafari,M.,Meshkat, M.,&Reazee,M.2011).Hamidietal,suggestedthateducationshouldincludetheapplicationof methods,theabilitytoprocessnewinformation,andthetransferofinformationtomakemeaning (2011).Hamidietal.sresearchconnectedtothecognitivelearningdomainsresearchedinBlooms Taxonomy(19562011).FurtherliteratureexaminedITskillsappropriatefora21stcenturyeducation anddividedthemintolevelsofdifficulty(Conoleetal.,2012Linetal.,2012).Linetal.proposeda modelthatconsideredtechnologicalskillincreaseandmovementtowardhigherlevelteachingthrough explicitplanninganddelivery(2012).Conoleetal.sresearchexaminedhowteachersintegratedICT andfoundthatcontentskillsshouldutilizeappropriatetechnologiesforauthenticlearningexperiences (2012). LiteraturerevealedthattheInternationalSocietyofTechnologyinEducationcreatedstandards thatpromotedvirtuallearning,creativityinselfexpressionforevaluationanddigitalcitizenshipfor technologyintegrationin2008.Literatureinthispaperdescribedtheemergenceofaskillfocused educationataninternationallevelfollowedbytheNationalEducationStandards,whichtiedskillsto performanceindicatorsofcognitivedomains(www.iste.org,2011).Scholarsindicatedthat21st CenturySkills,libraryskills,andInformationProcessingSkillscomplementoneanotherandconvey explicitorimplicitskillpracticetiedtocontent(Berkowitzetal.,2010Crocketetal.,2011Frazier, 2010NETS S,2011www.sedta.org,2010Parr&Ward,2011Rotherham&Willingham,2010). Regardlessofthemodelorframework,researchfromthereviewedliteraturesuggestedthe

followingskillsinonewayoranotherfor21stcenturyeducation:collaboration,creativity, communication,innovation,informationaccessing,thinkingcritically,problemsolving,digitalcitizenship, evaluationandexpressingideasthroughmedia(NationalEducationTechnologyPlan,2010).Withan educationalframeworkinplace,societylookedatschoolsystemsandtheabilityofteacherstomeet technologicalsavvystudents(Hamidietal.,2011).

TeachersasLearners Inrecentliterature,student,teacher,andprincipalperceptionoftechnologyuseineducationhas beendiscussed(ChurchesandWillingham,2010Conoleetal.,2012ErenandKurt,2011).Conoleet al.foundthatatechnologyusersperceptionschanged,basedonthecontextortool.Concerning teachers,thisdatacouldmeanusingthesametoolwithoutaddressingnewerormoreengaging technologies.Itcouldalsomeanthatateacherdoesnotfeelcomfortableusingtechnology,sothe teacherdoesnotmakeanyefforttodoso. Inanotherstudy,Lin,Lin,andWangdescribedfourlearnerorientedmicromodelsthat measuredstudentprogressiontowardhigherorderthinkingskillsandseveralICTorientedmicro models,whichfocusedonteacherability(2012).Theobjectoftheirresearchwastosimplifyallother integrationmodelsintoatool,pedagogy*technologymodel,forteacherusethatwouldallowgrowth towardshigherlevelsofICT(Linetal.,2012p.99).Theirdataconfirmedthattechnologyintegrationor teachingcompetencyalonewouldnotequatetohigherlevelthinkingonbehalfoftheteacher(Linetal., 2012Parr&Ward,2011Sparapani,2011).Moreimportant,thelowcompetencyteacherwithlittle technologybackgroundhadthedesiredoutcome(Linetal,2012).InconnectionwithLinetal., Williamsfoundthattheintroductionsofcertaintechnologiesoveranotherrestrictteachersiftheyaretoo

safe(20122008).Interactivewhiteboardsresemblearegularwhiteboardorchalkboard,leavingno roomforretoolingteacherssothattheyareabletoculturallychangeeducation(Williams,2008).Lin etal.statedtheneedformoreempiricaldatausingthepedagogy*technologymodelinalongitudinal study(2012). Inthisliteraturereview,findingssuggestedthatteachercapabilityforusing21stcenturytools couldbebrokendownintothreecategoriespersonallevelofthinking,risktaking/effort,andtheneed peerreinforcement.Thefollowingparagraphsbrieflyaddresseachcategorytiedtoresearchfromthe literature. Personallevelofthinking. Scholarshaveimpliedthatteacherstodayareunabletoguidestudentsthroughhigherlevel thinkingactivitiesbecausetheirthoughtsarelinearinnature(Rotherham&Willingham,2010Williams, 2008).Researchsuggestedthatreallearningisdevelopedonanonlinearpathascognitivelinksare madeinacontentareausingamultipleskillstoexecutealearningtask,muchlikestudentsinthe21st century(Crocketetal.,2010).Castoetal.suggestedinlongitudinalstudythatninetyeightoutof ninetyeightteachersrespondedNevertoWeeklyonasurveyabouttheknowledgeoruseof thirtyseventechnologies(Castoetal.,2004).Par&Wardfoundthatthecontextorcultureofaschool communityinfluencedteacherperformanceandthinkingintheirstudyofthreeschoolsintegrating technology(2011).Theirdatasuggestedthatseniormanagementcreatedasynergybetweenstudents, technology,teachers,learningandtheirprincipalthatcontinuedtothrive(Parr&Ward,2011). Literaturesuggestedthatteachersunwillingtoacceptthepossibilitiesofusingtechnologyintheir classroomsarenotqualifiedfor21stcenturyteaching(Crocketetal.,2010Rotherham&Willingham, 2010Sparapani,2000Williams,2008).

Risktakingandeffort. Findingssuggestedthatschoolsystemsreliedonvariouseducatorswhowerenotteachers,such asliteracycoaches,administrators,andadditionalschoolpersonneltotakepartincreatingalearning environment.WhitfieldandMoorestressedtheimportanceofallowingtimeinthebeginningoftheyear foreveryonetoadjusttostudentsneeds(2007).Atthesametimehowever,researchsuggestedthat coachesandadministratorscreateurgencyforteacherstobuilddailyroutineswhichallowstudentsand theirteacherstoreachlearninggoals(Parr&Ward,2011Whitfield&Moore,2007). Sparapanisuggestedusinganinquirylessontemplatecenteredonaparticularskillinacontent area,withguidingquestionsfortheteacherthatactivatedthewholebrain(2000).Hisstudyfoundthat havingteachersworkasstudentrefreshedtheirperspectivesoflearning,especiallywhentheyhadto thinkoftoolsthatwouldbeappropriateforthelesson(Sparapani,2000).Researchindicatedthat teacherswhoplannedactivitiesforhigherlevelthinkingendedupincreasingtheirownabilityuseinquiry naturally(Castoetal.2004Sparapani,2000)Theliteraturefoundthatactivitiesinvolvingtechnologies andInformationProcessingSkillswerelonger,extendingintoothercontentareasandbotheducators andstudentsweremoreactivewhilelearning(Berkowitzetal.,2010Castoetal.,2004Crockettet al.,2010Parr&Ward,2010).SurveysfromteachersinSparapanisstudyconfirmedmoreactivityor thefeelingofbeingbusywhilelearning(2000). Theliteraturesuggestedrisktakingbyusingprofessionalinquirytoenableoneanotherto becomeproblemsolvers(Whitfield&Moore).Fraziersuggestedthateducatorsdonotalwaysseeeach otherasallies,makingitdifficulttoshareinquirybasedlearningideasorhighqualitymaterials(2010). Technologyandplanningtoolstoencourageinquirybasedteachingdonotsolvetheproblemof technologyintegrationinthe21stcenturybecausesocietypresentlyhasboth.Intheliteraturereviewed,

anunexpectedfindsuggestedamajorconcernofwhetherornotteachersacknowledgethestudent voice,needorlearningpreferencebeforeplanning21stcenturyexperiences.

PeerReinforcement. Inthisparagraph,researchindicateshowtorecognizestudentvoice,needorlearning preferenceina21stcenturyclassroom.Researchersreferencedlessonreflectionasanecessarypractice forstudentsandteacherstodiscoverhowtheyfeltduringthelearningexperiences,leadingtoadoption intotheNETPframeworkasabestpracticeforintegration(Conoleetal.,2012Churches,2011Li, 20072010).Additionalcollaborationtoolsfoundinthereviewthatwouldhelpeducatorspractice listeningtovaryingviewpointsincludeProfessionallearningcommunities,effectivemodelingof technologieswithcolleagues,andopencommunicationbetweenstudentsandtheirteacher(Castoetal., 2004Churches,Crockettetal.20102011Par&Ward,2011Williams,2009) Inadditiontofindingwaystolearnwithstudents,researchsuggestedthatteacherscontinually trytechnologiesasaclass,useteambuildingexerciseswithpeersorinclass,orUnitwritingsessionsto buildtechnologyfluencyandincreaseInformationProcessingSkillintegration(Parr&Ward2011). Insummation,teacherabilityisthekeytosuccessfullyembeddingtechnologyinthe21stcentury (UnitedStatesEducationDepartment,2011).Sparapanisuggestedthatteachersbuiltselfefficacy throughhavingbusyclassrooms,wherenoisemeantstudentcenteredlearning(2000).Overall,teachers inthisliteraturereviewfeltlikebetterabouttheirteacherstylewiththeinclusionofInformation Processingskillsandrigoroustrainingembeddinginquirywithhighinterestcontent(Castoetal.,2004 Par&Ward,2011).Finally,themostsuccessfulteachersfeltcapableofmentoringstudentsbytalking lessandlisteningmorestudentsandtheirdiscussions(Sparapani,2000).

10

LeadershipisaSharedRole Datahaveimpliedtheneedforongoingtraining,time,andsupportinordertoprogresstowards anenvironmentthatseamlesslyconnectscontenttotechnology(Berkowitzetal.,2010Parr&Ward, 2011).Anassumptionwouldbethatitistheprincipalsroletoleadtechnologyintegration,however evidencesupportsdispersingtheworkoftechnologyintegration(Berkowitzetal.,2010Holloman& Sugar,2009,Williams,2009).Researchfromonestudysuggestedthatprincipalswhoexploredor receivedtraininginmultipletechnologiesfeltmoreproficientandestablishedahigherlevelofinterestfor technologyincentivesintheirschools(Eren&Kurt,2011).Finally,researchconcludedthattheuseof standards,suchastheNET P,beusedtoevaluateaprincipalforemployment,toencourage professionaldevelopmentforallmembersofaschoolsystem(Eren&Kurt). Accordingtoresearch,principalsinthe21stcenturycanhelpfosteralastingschoolcultureby reflectingonwhattheschoolhasandneeds:whatskillsdoyourteachershavethatcangiveclear articulationordemonstrationtoapromisingpractice?(SEDTA,2010)Alleducatorsthatcan contributetocontinuouslearningthroughouttheschooldayshouldbeapartoftheleadershipteam (Berkowitz,2010Crocketetal.,2010Frazier,2010Holloman&Sugar,2009).Cornsuggested buildingbasedtechnologyassessmentstodefinewhetherornotmoretimeshouldbespentoninquiryor tools(2009).InformationintheSEDTAandNETPoutlinespecificmembersofaschoolsystemwho shouldbeapartofaninfrastructuretooverseeintegration,includingtechnologycoaches,managersand integrationspecialists(Berkowitz2010Frazier,2007SEDTA,2010UnitedStates,2011).Research supportsthattheuseofwirelessrouters,databases,websecurity,hardware,software,andbasicIT toolsinaschoolsystemetc.requiresaqualifiedpersonstoensurethatintegrationrunssmoothly (Holloman&Sugar,2009).

11

ConclusionsandRecommendations Educationischangingrapidlyandasmanyscholarshaveindicated,technologyisslowlytaking theplaceofsymbolictoolsforlearning(Crockettetal.,2010p.15).Aglobalaudiencehasrecognized theneedforaction,whichcouldresemblechangingschoolsystemsfromthebottomup.21stcentury toolsthatstudentsnaturallyuseoutsideofschoolwouldbeastartingplaceforteacherstopractice planninginquirybasedexperiences(Williams,2008).SearchesforBloomsTaxonomy(1956)onthe internetwillmostlikelyresultintheoriginalandadaptedtrianglescomparingcognitionthento technologyandskillsusednow(Zeit,2011).Explicitlyorimplicitlyteachingskill(s)acrossthecontent areaarethekeytoembeddingtechnology,allowingstudentsandtheirteachersconsistentpracticein constructingnewknowledgeofaninterestingtopic. Studentswhohaveembraced21stcenturyskillsareusingWeb2.0toolstofindanswerstotheir

12

ownquestionswithinthesametimeframethattheyareonuploadingandeditingphotos,takingtheirturn inmultiplegamesofWordswithFriendsorbuildingattractionstocollectmoneyforrepairsandfuture projectsinvirtualgameslikeTapZooorFarmville(PocketJems,Inc,2012Zynga,2012).Student viewsonthetechnologytoolschosen,thecontextforuse,orthefrequencyforintegrationiswidely unnoticedbyteachers(Conoloeetal.,2012Li,2007). Teachersinthe21stcenturyhavebecomethefocusfromdecadesofresearchinEducational Technologyandtechnologyintegration.Beingabletousetechnologytoolseffectivelywasabenefitto thestudentandteacher,increasingfrequencyandvariety.Societybelievesitisnolongeracceptablefor teacherstorecitebestpracticesbutfreelyteachwithoutengagingstudentswithrealworldproblem solving.Therefore,teachersmustundergoapersonaltransitionfirst,toexplorethelimitlesspossibilities inteachingusinginquirybasedteachingandInformationProcessingSkillstiedtocontentteachingfor fifteenyearsorfifteenyearsofteachinginoneyear(Crockettetal.,2011p.15Linetal.,2012). Asfarasleadershiprolesinschoolsystems,dataregardingPrincipalinvolvementislackingin thispeerreview.ThestudiesdidnothaveafocusonPrincipalinvolvementandbarelymentioned anythingbeyondreceivinganapprovaltocompleteastudy.Inthisreview,eachworksuggestedthat technologyintegrationiscomplexinnature,needingthesupportofmanydifferentpeopleinaschool settingtotrulymakeaculturalshiftintothe21stcentury.SmallscalegovernmentstoInternational Societieshavetakenownershipoftheissueandcontinuetoprovidesupporttoschoolstryingtomeet initiatives. Furtherresearchinthefollowingtopicswouldprovideinsightonhowindividualschoolscan createaculturethatwillstayafloatduringFederalmandatesforwhattechnologyintegrationshouldlook like.

13

Schoolbasedneedsassessmentsintechnologycompletedbyallpersonnel StudentandTeacherperceptionsofaFlippedclassroomorlesson Powerprofessionallearningcommunitiesandothersourcesforinhouseteacherdevelopment

References Berkowitz,B.,Eisenberg,M.,&Johnson,D.(2010).Information,communication,andtechnology (ICT)skills:CurriculumbasedontheBig6skillsapproachtoinformationproblemsolving. LibraryMediaConnection,28(6),2427. Churches,A.(2011,December).Digitallibrarian.TeacherLibrarian.39(2),3435. Casto,D.,Taylor,L.,&Walls,R.(2004).Tools,time,andstrategiesforintegratingtechnologyacross thecurriculum.JournalofConstructivistPsychology,(17),121136.doi: 10.1080/107220530490273908 Conole,G.,Edmunds,R.,&Thorpe,M.(2012).StudentsattitudestowardsanduseofICTincourse study,workandsocialactivity:Atechnologyacceptancemodelapproach.BritishJournalof EducationalTechnology,43(1),7184.doi:10.1111/j.14678535.2010.01142.x Corn,J.(2010,November).Investigatingthequalityoftheschooltechnologyneedsassessment (STNA)3.0:avalidityandreliabilitystudy.EducationTechnologyResearchand

14

Development,58,353376.doi:10.1007/s114230099140y Crockett,L.,Jukes,I.,&Mccain,T.(December/January,2011).Educationandtheroleofthe educatorinthefuture.PhiDeltaKappan,92(4),1521. Frazier,D.(December,2010).Schoollibrarymediacollaborations:Benefitsandbarriers.Library MediaConnection.29(3),3433. Hamidi,F.,Jafari,M.,Meshkat,M.,&Rezaee,M.(2011).Informationtechnologyineducation. ProcediaComputerScience.(3),369373.doi:10.1016/j.procs.2010.12.062 Holloman,H.,&Sugar,W.(November/December,2009).Technologyleaderswanted: AcknowledgingtheleadershiproleofaTechnologyCoordinator.TechTrends,53(6),6675. Lin,J.M.C.,Lin,I.C.,&Wang,P.Y.(2012).Pedagogy*technology:Atwodimensionalmodelfor teachers'ICTintegration.BritishJournalofEducationalTechnology,43(1),97108.doi: 10.1111/j.14678535.2010.01159.x Parr,J.M.,&Ward,L.(2011).Theteacherslaptopasahubforlearningintheclassroom.Journalof ResearchonTechnologyinEducation,44(1),5373. PocketJems,Inc.(2012,February).TapZoo.[Retrievedfrom http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tapzoo/id360893304?mt=8]. Qing,L.(2007).Studentandteacherviewsabouttechnology:Ataleoftwocities?Journalof ResearchonTechnologyinEducation,39(4),377397. Rotherham,A.J.,&Willingham,D.T.(2010).21stcenturyskills:Notnew,butaworthychallenge. AmericanEducator,34(1),1720. Sparapani,E.(2000).Theeffectofteachingforhigherlevelthinking:Ananalysisofteacherreactions. Education,121(1),8089.

15

SEDTA.(2010).21stcenturylearningenvironmentmodels.[Retrievedfromhttp://www.sedta.org]. UnitedStatesDepartmentofEducation.(March,2010).NationalEducationalTechnologyPlan. [Retrievedfromhttp://www.ed.gov/technology/netp2010] Williams,P.(July,2008).Leadingschoolsinthedigitalage:aclashofcultures.SchoolLeadershipand Management,28(3),213228. Williams,S.(2009).LeadershipcapacityAkeytosustaininglastingimprovement.Education, 130(1),3041. Zeit,L.(2011,May5).Webtoolsadorn21stcenturyBloomsTaxonomy[Blog].Retrievedfrom http://drzreflects.blogspot.com/2011/05/webtoolsadorn21stcenturyblooms.html Zynga.(2012,April).Farmville.[Retrievedfrom http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/farmvillebyzynga/id375562663?mt=8] Zynga.(2012).Wordswithfriends.[Retrievedfrom http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wordswithfriendsfree/id321916506?mt=8]

16