subject: 21st Century Learning [print this page] 21st Century Learning 21st Century Learning
The phrase "21st Century Learning" is becoming the mantra of the educational world and, as obvious as this may seem, an important concept for all educators to begin to consider. Actually, it is a bit late in the game to be starting this process when you consider that we have already finished one tenth of the Century. You would think that educators would have been considering these ideas before the Century began. Alas, the reality of education is that we are one of the last industries to catch up with change.
Ken Krueger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking, points out in the excellent Learning to Change-Changing to Learn video on Youtube: "The US department of commerce ranked 55 industry sectors by their level of IT intensiveness. Education was ranked number 55, the lowest, below coal mining." Yet you will realize how important it is to look and think about the future. Every teacher is a futurist and is shaping the next generation.
One of the schools that is pushing the envelope for education into the new millennium is that of ICOS found at http://icos.ca. It offers four online ESL courses which are cutting edge in its technology.
Gary Gumley, the CEO of Interactive Learning Corporation (Canada and China), says the following about ICOS: "No matter whether students are beginners or are already confident with conversational English, they will be enthusiastic about ICOS. They can study at their own pace wherever and whenever they want. ILC has reviewed many ESL materials and has found that the ICOS content is one of the best, well organized and engaging sets of online ESL course content anywhere. I am most pleased to give it my full endorsement. This would be a dream tool for cross-cultural workers around the world to help others learn English and build bridges with neighbours through positive communication."
Of course, as Christians in the culture, I want to be a part of impacting our culture in such as way as to make room for our voice, live peacefully among our neighbors, have a part to play in the shaping of this culture and ultimately, have the freedom to bring the Kingdom of God into the lives of those all around us. Technology and excellence helps us establish a voice of relevance at the table of learning for the 21st Century.
