Chris Pultz

Instructional Technology Coaching, Training and Support for Lincoln Public Schools

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Introducing “21st Century Themes” Into Classrooms

Whether you are consulting the best thinking of the

U.S. Department of Education
International Society for Technology in Education
American Association of School Librarians
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills
The updated ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives’
…or almost any other educational technology minded Journal, Association, website or blog,

you will hear a clear message that our current model of institutional instruction is not nearly student centered enough. Furthermore, as the The Partnership for 21st Century Skills states in their mission statement: “There is a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces.”

Therefore, we must endeavor ourselves, when possible and appropriate, to introduce these themes into our classrooms. Common threads across all of the associations and reports listed above are:

Inquiry Process
Collaborative Learning
Ethical Use of Information
Creation of New Knowledge
Opportunities to Express Creativity
Divergent Thinking Opportunities
Addressing Areas of Passion for Students

Over the next few days I hope to post my thoughts on these themes, ideas for what it may look like in a classroom, and tips for assessing learning in these situations.

I’ll state up front that I am NOT an expert in any one of these areas, though I have more experience in some than others. I encourage you to post your thoughts, corrections, additions, arguments, etc. I’ll learn from all of it!

Posted in My Thoughts.

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By Chris Pultz – September 1, 2010

Active Learning

“Is the tech coordinator for the district getting up and saying, ‘I’ve got a way that you can do your lectures in a much more interesting fashion, we’re going to learn all about PowerPoint,’ or is the tech coordinator getting up and saying, ‘Kids will be much more excited if they’re helping you construct what they’re learning, and so we’re going to learn about wikis.’ Because people—whether or not they’re fans of 21st century skills—will typically agree that 21st century skills cannot be taught through presentational means, they have to be taught through active learning. And so if, at any level, if you’re going to advocate for 21st century skills, you basically have to advocate for a shift in typical pedagogy along with that. ”

~Chris Dede
Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies, Technology, Innovation and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

Posted in Quotes.

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By Chris Pultz – July 21, 2010

A Literate Generation

Sometimes through the gloom and doom of media reports on “failing schools” and the need for Education reform, I lose sight of the powerful notion that today’s youth are the most literate generation (worldwide) that this Earth has ever seen. The same Keillor essay I linked to in the previous post does a beautiful job of alluding to this.

Reminder to self: All is not lost, the sun will come up tomorrow, these kids will be OK – perhaps even better than that.