two | Digital Age Learning Culture
Concepts of learning and teaching have changed drastically
over the past decade. Teachers are no longer the sole
providers of knowledge because information is easily
accessible on the Internet. As a result, all those connected
to learning and teaching must first renew their vision to
establish digital learning environments. Teachers need to be
able to connect to their students’ digital worlds to engage and
motivate a new and very different type of learner. As eloquently
expressed by Mortimer Zuckerman, editor in chief of U.S.
News & World Report, “the classroom teachers would play the
role of enhancers, answering questions and helping students
better understand the material covered electronically.”
For many teachers, adding one more thing to a curriculum
that’s already full may seem virtually impossible,
especially when the focus is on high-stakes testing of core
areas such as reading and math. Consequently, it is vital
that administrators, teachers, and technology leaders focus
on the same collaborative vision of sound technology integration
across core curricula. To further support a digital
learning culture, educational leaders must critically assess
how much technology students have access to and how
often they access it. As online state assessments demand
more computer use, students have little time and fewer resources
left for creative and innovative uses of school computers. School leaders must ask themselves questions such as, “Is it OK to block
off significant amounts of time for test preparation at the expense of time to use
digital tools?” or “How can a new, shared vision help us rethink what a typical
classroom should look like?”