Learning programs and students of the 21st Century….

Learning programs and students of the 21st Century….
Introducing the 3 e’s

It has been sometime since I wrote in the blog. Things have been busy with my new job with trips overseas and meetings to negotiate pilot schools for a new program.

Recently I was discussing the evolution of our program with a colleague from Emmanuel. I went home after our brief catch up and started thinking about what 21st Century learning programs should do in order to engage our students. I came up with a concept that I am going to do some more work with in the coming months. I call them the 3 e’s of 21st century learning programs….. I believe that 21st century learning programs should be
1) Entertaining
2) Engaging
3) Educational
The first ‘e’ may be a tad controversial for many of my readers but please allow me to explain myself. I have long felt that educators have missed a key to engaging students in the content. We all wish to have our students engaged and it has been a buzz word around education for longer than I have been involved in schools. I actually believe that this generation of students is firstly engaged by drawing on their desire to be entertained. We are teaching and attempting to educate a generation that is not just interested in being entertained by TV, movies and music but a generation that expects to be entertained by TV and movies on demand and an entire music collection accessible in their pocket. Perhaps we could conclude that if a student is entertained in a 21st century way they are then engaged.

I was interested in a colleague’s observation about a new initiative at Emmanuel College. Recently they installed a number of interactive whiteboards. He made the remark that he could see students being engaged with this tool in their classroom longer than any other form of technology he had used before. During my limited experience in teaching I found myself always looking for the ‘new’ thing in technology that would engage and benefit my students. 2005’s students were not impressed with the same technology I used to blow the minds of students in 2004. There was a search for something each year.

I now think that perhaps I missed the point of effective learning programmes. Technology enhances a quality programme that already entertains and draws on student’s interests. Yes I can use technology to entertain and draw students in but the content and concepts being taught still need to be presented in an entertaining, then engaging way, which will hopefully lead to an educational experience (learning).

Obviously there is some more work to be done on this thought. It is not even 24hours old…. But I am interested in comments and thoughts…..