The implications of these trends for education are far-reaching and fundamentally "game changing". Although technology advances have catalyzed many of the above shifts, adding more technology into a 19th Century classroom does not in and of itself make a 21st Century learning experience. Rather, it is both the content of our curriculum and the process of teaching and learning that are shifting. The design of the physical environment both inside and outside of “school” needs to support new approaches to teaching and learning. Developments in technology and social networking have given us the opportunity to create new forms of collaboration and communication systems to change the way educators, students, and community members interact.
We also must recognize that the availability of these technologies presents certain risks and challenges, such as the increasing potential to isolate people, distractions from learning, as well as greater opportunities for making poor choices (e.g. cyber bullying). All of these have real implications on the development of basic social and communication skills, particularly for children. Schools must be cognizant of this and be encouraged to experiment with new approaches that are more aligned with research on brain science and innovative approaches to education, such as incorporating principles of gaming cognition and motivation theory, as well as innovative ways to support the healthy social- emotional development of our children in a tech-centered society. If anything, the ubiquity of technology and virtual interactions make more important a true 21st Century Education that focuses on "life skills" such as teamwork, problem solving, confidence, taking initiative and being resilient.
Specifically, the Who, What, Where, When, and How of educational endeavors will undergo a process of transformation, including:
Ohio's adoption of the Common Core Standards (CCS) brings these new elements of teaching and learning to the forefront and helps address the opportunities and challenges we currently face. CCS provides a more student- centered approach to assessment and gives teachers, schools, and the District a richer set of formative data to inform teaching and learning, while allowing students to self-monitor their progress in real time. Student collaborative and conversational skills cannot simply be practiced as teaching strategies but instead need to be second nature to our students, as they participate fully in this new academic experience.