21st Century Learner Video

Reflections on Web 2.0 and 21st Century Learners

I'm struggling with this in a variety of different ways.  Most significantly, one of the dramatic shifts to 21st century learning is allowing students to set the direction of much of the content of the course.  However, in a content driven curriculum, such as U.S. History, there is not  a lot of room to let student choice/research set the agenda or direction that the course will take.  In my opinion for example, students need to learn about the Battle of Gettysburg (simplified, but merely an example).  What if however, a student driven course chooses to bypass the Civil War entirely as being "old news", unimportant, or uninspiring for further study (hard to imagine, I know, but I suppose it could happen)!  Does the 21st century U.S. History classroom/teacher allow this to happen?
Further, another difficulty to consider is the notion of a 21st Century Learner learning for learning's sake.  This assumes a lot about the mind of the average American teenager.  Is it possible for instance that technology and immediacy has made the teenage mind lazy and complacent, rather than curious and engaged?  I'm not sure yet.  Still trying to work it out.

Reflections on Lifelong Learning

1) There are 2 habits that will be challenging to employ moving forward.  The first is beginning with the end in mind.  Too often I find myself looking at technology as something that is cool, playing with it, and then forgetting about it when it comes time to apply it in my curriculum.  Beginning with the end in mind will force me to look at what it is that I want my students to accomplish and then searching out the piece of technology that will help them to do so.  This will make technology much more useful in my curriculum but also requires foresight and planning, not two of my strengths.  Similarly, using technology to my advantage is also an area where I expect to struggle.  Again, the notion of using it and allowing the technology to make work simpler and less time consuming, rather than the opposite, is something that I've struggled with constantly over the last several years.
2) The habit that will be easiest for me as a lifelong learner is creating a learning toolbox.  I usually am able to have a variety of skills and abilities that allow me to continue to learn but as stated above, struggle in finding the opportunities to use them.
3) I think dealing with the two issues stated in number one above will be most important for me to deal with.  Otherwise, I will come out of this course with more tools in my toolbox but little sense of how or when to use them.