Random


 * 21st Century Realities Require New Learning Strategies**

When New York Times Pulitzer Prize columnist and author Thomas Friedman wrote the book **//The World Is Flat//**//,// he described that in the 21st century, the world’s economy would be “knowledge-based” because digital technology “had created a global platform that allowed more people to plug and play, collaborate and compete, share knowledge and share work, than anything we have ever seen in the history of the world.” In his eighth grade social studies class at Moran Middle School, teacher Paul Bogush has integrated technology and the use 2.0 tools as the backbone of classroom learning. Bogush said, “We use these tools to break down our walls and allow us to connect with the rest of the world.” His students are involved in video conferencing with classrooms across the United States, and in November, a group presented how to use video conferencing in a social studies classroom to 40 high school Social Studies Department Chairs at a conference in Wichita, Kansas. Since a field trip to Old Sturbridge Village in December, student groups are creating multi-media virtual field trips to be shared to classrooms from New York to Australia based on their research and exploration of Old Sturbridge Village. This class, through its wiki, provides any visitor worldwide entry to view every assignment and drafts of student work, and the wiki is used across the U.S. as an example of 21st century learning by colleges and educators leading conferences. The Moran wiki access is http://collaborationnation.wikispaces.com Through student blogs, these students have established relationships with students and educators around the world, where they utilize interpersonal communications skills for personal expression, for collaborative activities with other classes, and for sharing academic writing, all with an authentic audience that makes this learning real and relevant to 21st century career applications. Said Mr. Bogush, “We do a lot of podcasting throughout the year, but the one I am most proud of is the [|http://lunchtimeleaders.podomatic.com] podcast. The students interview leaders from all over the country, and just recently, we interviewed someone from South Africa and will soon have interviews with people from Bulgaria and Australia. The purpose of the interviews is to get leaders opinions on where the business world is going in the 21st century and to find out what middle school kids need to do to get prepared for it.” Kathy McCabe, a teacher in South Africa, summed up what these Moran eighth graders are learning through their podcast. She wrote, “They have learnt to frame intelligent, open-ended questions. They have learnt about the realities of education in a country very different than their own. They have learnt to use several different types of technology in carrying out an exercise. They have learnt to appreciate the opportunities they have. Their understanding of the world around them has grown. Their understanding of the world around them has grown. Perhaps they will begin to reflect on their future role in the broader society of our global village. These kids have horizons stretching way beyond their own neighborhood.”