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The New Learning Institute presents an extremely compelling argument as to how educators can improve the learning process. They assert that today’s classrooms lag far behind the everyday experiences of students, for relevant technology is not present in their educational experiences. This, in turn, produces students that are less prepared to handle the increasing technological expectations of the modern world. The answer provided for this problem is that both educators and students need to be trained in the skills needed to explore technology.

I strongly agree with this idea, and actively promote the utilization of technology in all of the courses I teach. In fact, a large majority of my activities revolve around technology in some shape or form. The integration of technology starts with training the teachers, for they need to be knowledgeable on how to instruct the students and ignite student interest. Once the teachers have a firm understanding of these skills, they can make their classrooms come alive. I firmly agree that the utilization of technology can allow classes to be more relevant to students, more student centered, and will allow students in turn to take control of their own learning. This can get the students used to the idea that they are not just the consumers of technological media, but also the creators as well. Considering this is how I consistently attempt to structure my classroom, it strongly relates to my teaching methods definitely something I consider to be of high priority.

Some examples of activities are text message scavenger hunts that students can follow in museums, creating digital media projects and publishing them to a worldwide audience, and incorporating other digital technologies such as social networking to utilize and develop problem solving skills. This allows students to learn in a student centered environment where they can investigate what interests them and gain a feeling of accomplishment and self worth when they are producing and publishing their digital media. Teachers would receive professional development to provide a knowledge base for utilizing this form of instruction, thus enabling them to be the facilitators for these extremely effective instructional strategies.

In terms of 21^st century skills, this relates a great deal, for one of the key components is incorporating technology into the classroom to make our students more prepared for the future. This school has grasped that concept, and is working towards accomplishing that goal. Unfortunately, many schools lag behind in this area, which is why it is so incredibly critical to push towards all schools ultimately incorporating these 21^st century skills within their classrooms as well.