21st century skills
In group one we have defined ourselves and our expectation of each other, according to the entrepreneurial process, as explained by Sarah Robinson (link). We have shared our experiences, competences and network. Now we have found a common interest in technology and education – generating computational thinking. In the discovery phase we have investigated opportunities and challenges in that field, and have now explored new ways of improving technology based education. Soon we will test our hypothesis and reiterate the process.
In the entrepreneurial process creativity and iteration plays an important role.
These competences are also a part of Michael Resnicks theory of iteration and creative thinkers in a society characterized by change (Resnicks, 2007).
Resnick suggests that we can help learners develop the creative-thinking skills they need in the 21st century, by using new technologies and the Imagine-Create-Play-Share-Reflect-Imagine processes throughout the entire educational system. These skills are developed through processes typical of kindergarten play.
The following points are important for this:
- The educators create possibilities for learners to imagine new ways of using technology
- The educators provide opportunities and space for creation
- The students learn while playing
- The students and educators share own designs and develop new designs together
- The students improve their designs through reflection
- The students use experiences in new ways and imagine new possibilities through an iterative process.
We wonder: To what extent are these 21st century creative-thinking skills being developed in the Danish school system? Also, how do teachers and students use new technologies and digital media in this matter? Can we do better?
Jesper Tække and Michael Paulsen have a theory about how class teaching seems to be changing in the era of digital media, and what consequences access to the internet has for classroom-based teaching. They characterise three waves:
Sadly, as we have experienced in public schools in Denmark, and as Tække and Paulsen suggest, most education still shows signs of the first wave.
Tække and Paulsens theory about the three waves, and Mitchel Resnicks theory about how to develop creative-thinking, are both quite interesting. How can we implement these ideas in the danish schools and thereby provide ways for students and teachers to develop mindsets that can help open the classroom towards the world, and contribute to letting students develop the creative-thinking skills they will need in the future?
References
Mitchel Resnick – All I Really Need to Know (About Creative Thinking) I Learned ( By Studying How Children Cognition Learn) In Kindergarten. Presented at Creativity & Conference, June 2007.
Jesper Tække & Michael Poulsen – Digitalisation of education – the theory of the three waves. The Centre for Internet Studies. 2017.
Robinson, Sarah. A Pedagogy for Entrepreneurship, tilgået d. 29/10-17 kl. 15.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGsh5ZvqQC8&feature=youtu.be
Web avengers 
Interesting article – how would you suggest (in your group) that we implement Resnick’s theory about creative thinkers in a school? Do you also agree in Resnick’s critisism of Kindergartens – they no longer play – but they subjects like in school?
In other word – are we really still in the first wave? And can’t we find processes in schools and kindergardens, where children still go through Resnick’s creative phases?
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I think you all have brought a number of creative thinkers and ideas together here. And I share your interest in technology and education, and computational thinking. I wonder how we move to a deeper level and focus on more specific kinds of problems in this area and how we might address those problems? A number of researchers in the U.S. have tried to address some of these issues with the notion of cyberlearning. Here is their project page: http://circlcenter.org/projects/ Perhaps this might help develop some new ideas that dig into this area a bit more.
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What a wonderful and fun video you have made. I love how you show the different aspects through play! It is interesting to consider how we implement these ideas in the Danish schools. Change is difficult. And if we decide that we want to change the way we teach, we would also have to change the way we test and measure, right? Then all of a sudden the focus has to change from what we do as individuals to major changes on a national scale. And how do we make that sort of change happen? Of course in the meantime, we can do these things, and try and inspire people around us, and hope that our little drop of innovative and creativity based values will create rings that spread out into the community.
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Great video – i like how you talk about creativity in a creative way. As to your question concerning how it’s done in the Denmark, I worked at a so-called iPad-School, and found that they made great use of the SAMR-model (puentedura). The model contains four steps showing that correct use of technology can strengthen and even transform the learning process . However, it does not tell how to do it.
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Reading Tække and Poulsen’s text about the three waves I had sort of a moment of realization.
Maybe it is not that hard to change the ways af education to fit the 21 century skills? After all here is an example of how it could be done. It will require lots of work and creative thinking though:)
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