of the 21st century; however, the social,
economic, and informational impact of
the Internet and digital media is unprecedented.
The Internet and digital media
represent a new realm of interaction of
which successful navigation is essential
for success in the 21st century, and once
gathered and comprehended, new skills
and knowledge are necessary to collaborate
digitally and contribute to the
collective knowledge base.
The effect of technology on foundational
knowledge in the 21st century
goes well beyond the obvious dimension
of digital and information literacy.
Content has also been altered with the
rapid advancement of technology in
the 21st century in terms of both access
to information and how information is
represented (Summers, 2012, p. ED26).
Individuals now have nearly instant access
to information on an unprecedented
scale, and the advent of easy-to-use
software has lowered the barrier of entry
to many activities. For example, online
music simulators (e.g., Audacity, Open
Orchestra) make it possible for students
to learn about and experience music in
new ways that, although possible previous
to the 21st century, had much more
significant barriers of entry, including
necessary prerequisite knowledge and
access to equipment.
More important, the nature of
disciplinary knowledge itself and the
methods for acquiring it have changed
significantly due to the advent of the
digital computer. The introduction of
digital technologies has changed the
methods and techniques of acquiring,
representing, and manipulating knowledge
in almost all disciplines, from
mathematics to music, astronomy, and
archeology. It is clear that the education
of the next generation of citizens needs
to change to keep up with these developments
(Mishra, Terry, Henriksen, & the
Deep-Play Research Group, 2013).
Finally, most of the progress in the
recent past has been in areas that cut
across traditional disciplinary boundaries
(Mishra, Koehler, & Henriksen,
2011; Mishra & the Deep-Play Research
Group, 2012), caused in large measure
by the protean nature of digital
technologies (Koehler & Mishra, 2008).
From bio-technologists to computational
political scientists, from experts in
data-mining who seek patterns in user
behavior on the Web to programmerartists
who create scientific simulations
to represent complex multidimensional
phenomena, the world of the future depends
on people who have deep knowledge
of more than one discipline and the
ability to see connections between these
disciplines. Thus, cross-disciplinary
knowledge and the ability to synthesize
information are ultimately different in
the 21st century than in the past, and
an ever-expanding amount of information
necessitates the ability to synthesize
information and derive meaning.
Changes to meta knowledge. Technology
in the meta realm asserts itself
as knowledge “to act” with foundational
knowledge and technology. This
includes the ability not only to use
technology in basic, predetermined (by
the designer) ways, but to reuse and
repurpose technology to meet specific
educational needs and teaching/learning
goals. Problem solving and critical
thinking are not unique to the 21st century.
However, they are transformed by
technology as the unprecedented access
to vast amount of information available
on the Internet place a greater burden
on individuals accessing information, as
they must now possess the ability to discern,
beyond simple aesthetics, between
high-quality information and information
of questionable quality.
Technology also changes communication
and collaboration in crucial ways.
The need to effectively communicate
and collaborate is not novel, but ease of
access has made large-scale communication
and collaboration across thousands
of miles commonplace. With increased
globalization and affordances of new
technology, individuals from diverse cultures
are exposed to one another on an
unprecedented level, and successful collaboration—and
consequently cultural
competence—is essential (Jerald, 2009).
Communication and collaboration serve
as an effective bridge between meta
knowledge and humanistic knowledge
as cultural competence (a subcategory
of humanistic knowledge) aids in, and is
necessary for, successful communication
and collaboration in the 21st century.
Changes to humanistic knowledge.
Technology in the humanistic realm
asserts itself as something to value
both in others and in the possibilities
of technology. Humanistic knowledge,
while seemingly the most distant from
the effects of technology, has nonetheless
been modified by technology in the
21st century in that the ability to regulate
one’s efforts has become a multifaceted
effort that necessitates organization of
one’s demands in different realms of life
(personal, professional) to successful
ends. In fact, self-regulation is becoming
an important skill for students to
learn (Mishra, Fahnoe, Henriksen, & the
Deep-Play Research Group, 2013). Ethical
and moral questions abound, many
in arenas that had not typically been
areas of doubt or discussion. Whether
we consider issues of privacy and intellectual
property or bio-technology and
stem-cell research, individuals today
(and in the future) have to develop
fine-tuned ethical and moral modes
of thought and action. All of this is, of
course, exacerbated by the ability to
easily and efficiently communicate with
diverse groups of individuals across the
world. Ethical and emotional awareness,
while not novel to the 21st century, are
uniquely important when working with
diverse groups of individuals. The issue
of humanistic knowledge becomes even
more critical in an increasingly globalized
and interconnected world, where
different cultures have to meet and interact
(Jerald, 2009). In contexts like this,
developing a value system that respects
differences and yet maintains a core of
empathy and understanding becomes
critically important.
Implications for Teachers
and Teacher Educators
This framework provides some specific
recommendations for teachers and
teacher educators. In brief, we point to
three key suggestions.
First, disciplinary knowledge and
domain knowledge are as important
as ever and will continue to be so well