Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
meeting the ChAllenge
through the ChAnging
eduCAtion lAndsCAPe
solving, and communication and collaboration. If
students can master these skills and incorporate
them into their everyday thinking, they will be
more successful in the 21 st century workplace.
The case study referenced later in this chapter
utilized and the cognitive apprenticeship strategy
to enable students to acquire authentic workplace
skills within a real-world context. In situated
learning, “knowledge needs to be presented in
authentic contexts — settings and situations that
would normally involve that knowledge. Social
interaction and collaboration are essential com-
ponents of situated learning — learners become
involved in a 'community of practice' which
embodies certain beliefs and behaviors to be
acquired (Lave and Wegner, 1990).” Likewise,
the cognitive apprenticeship strategy (Collins,
Brown, and Newman, 1987), allows for a master
of a skill to teach an apprentice the skill.
In the past many classroom learning activities
have emphasized learning of abstract concepts out
of context. The case study shows how learners were
better able to internalize and utilize the concepts
presented because they were involved in a “com-
munity of practice” where they were able to use
the knowledge in a situation that was realistic and
within context. Some of the learners also became
the masters of the skills and were able to pass them
on to their peers in a way that no teacher would
have been able to accomplish alone.
Today's students are the citizens of tomorrow.
We now live in a world where rapidly changing
technology infuses every part of our environment
and daily lives. Our citizens of tomorrow need to
be literate in many areas of technology in order to
be effective in everything that they do. This next
generation also needs to be able to learn quickly
from others in real-world workplace settings.
They need to develop skills of communication
and collaboration which facilitate conveying
information and skills to others. The schools and
teachers that educate this generation must change
to meet this challenge.
issues and Concerns
To succeed in today's world, it is not enough that
students know their content and be able to think
critically. They must be flexible and adaptable.
They must be able to accept varying roles in the
workplace that are constantly changing. Students
must learn to take initiative and be self-directed.
They must be able to use what they know and reach
beyond just a basic understanding to complete
ever-changing tasks that must be handled in a
very efficient manner. It is vital that our students
be comfortable with working collaboratively in
teams with people from a wide range of social
and cultural areas. They must be able to set high
standards independently for themselves and
develop an excellent work ethic in order to be
innovative and produce high quality work. If our
students can learn to incorporate these skills and
take leadership and responsibility in everything
that they do, then they will be effective citizens
of the 21 st century.
The rate of change in technology for com-
munication and information has increased at an
astonishing speed (Mehlman, 2003). It is highly
likely that we will see more change in the near
future than we ever did during the 20 th century.
Information and communications technologies
are significantly changing which skills will be re-
quired to be successful in the 21 st century.Already
businesses that are successfully integrating these
skills are being more productive and surpassing
the competition. Three main beliefs should guide
our use of these technologies. First, we need to
recognize that these technologies can only benefit
us if they are used wisely. They can be used to
make our world a better place or they can ag-
gravate the problems. Second, digital literacy
is not about only accessing the internet or using
technology proficiently; respecting copyright and
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