Emerging Technology Could Drive Interest in STEM Careers! Who knew?

21st Century Learners
By Cathleen Richardson

What do we really know about today’s youth? As educators, do we truly understand how they think, learn, communicate, and socialize? As if you didn’t know by now, they don’t perform any of the aforementioned skills in any manner like the youth of years past. Our students live in a digital world, altered by ever-changing technology. The youth of today can instant message on their laptop, talk on a cell phone, play a video game wirelessly with a friend down the street and chew bubble gum - all at the same time.

These "Screenagers" are undeniably different. They are authors of blogs, designers of web sites, and developers of ring tones. They have created an entire language of their own using abbreviated terms such as LOL (laugh out loud), BRB (be right back), POS (parent over the shoulder), MIRL (meet in real life) and BTDT (been there, done that). The bottom line is that these students learn and comprehend in a way that is foreign to many of us, and, as a result, they often feel disconnected from traditional teachers and schools of yesteryear.

Digital students are goal-oriented and able to pursue multiple outcomes at the same time. This generation of 21st Century learners can absorb a great deal of information at super-charged speed whether it is transmitted via a cell phone, television, the Internet, or MP3 player.

Digital students are masters of varying types of technology. These students are always connected with their peers and the world through technology. The digital generation has unknowingly incorporated 21st Century skills into their day-to-day lives by becoming innovators, creative designers, critical thinkers, collaborators, and complex problem-solvers.

While these students are having fun, they are also learning.

At a recent conference, Terry Jones, founder and former CEO of Travelocity.com told the audience a fascinating story. His son, a digital native, co-created a now popular computer game called “Day of Defeat” with four students from the United States, five from Europe and one from Canada. Interestingly, they never met! They collaborated and created this game solely via email and chat interactions.

Digital students are determined, focused on success and creators of their own destiny. This knowledge forces us to pause, ponder and then pose a series of additional questions. According to Speak Up, an online research project, which annually surveys K-12 students, teachers, parents, and school administrators, these are some key educational questions educators should be focusing on:

• What are the benefits of emerging technologies such as mobile devices, gaming in education, online learning and open education resources?
  
• What would happen if emerging technology were used to get students interested in STEM careers?
  
• What are the barriers/challenges to using technology?
  

The reality is that many schools aren’t ready or willing to address these questions. The traditional educational view of drill and practice and test taking is a difficult concept to abandon or reconsider for many educators. This is where the disconnect begins. Alan November, a recognized leader in the field of educational technology, lists on his website comments from workshop attendees on the future of education.

One workshop participant stated, “Hope can overcome fear when barriers are torn down, by allowing students to engage in a forum they are comfortable they take ownership of their learning and the teachers will be willing to change from the role of information giver to facilitator.”

Now that we know more about the digital generation, is it possible as educators that we need to rethink who we are? We must re-evaluate the practice of teaching and learning and equip our students with the necessary tools to help them advance in this digital age. Acknowledging who these students are and meeting them on their current playing field will bridge the digital gap and connect us all to the 21st Century.

John Dewey, a well-known educational reformer, says it best, “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.”

Next, we’ll delve more into the minds of this digital generation and explore what experts say about this extraordinary group of learners.