How do I prepare students to succeed in the 21st century?

>>Today's students will face challenges we haven't imagined.

Take jobs yet to be invented...and toil

in a workplace constantly reshaped

by the exponential progress of technology.

Only one thing is certain: classrooms designed

for the industrial age won't prepare students

for this dynamic era.

A new century calls for a new paradigm.

>>So what's my role?

>>We need to reset our sails

and navigate these uncharted waters with our students...

The sage on the stage must become the guide on the side...

no longer the knowledge keeper,

but the chief knowledge seeker...

learning along with and even from students...

Competency must shift from knowing the right answer

to asking the right question.

>>What kind of car will you be driving twenty years from now,

or will it do the driving?

>>Will future conflicts be waged over oil...

or water?

>>What do we do if sea levels rise as predicted?

>>In reimagined classrooms

where students become information producers rather

than information consumers...

questions spark curiosity...

encourage critical thinking..

and foster creative solutions...

skills our students need to adapt to any situation...

and compete on a global level.

>>How do I prepare for this role?

>>First, by recognizing that our students digital natives view

technology as an extension of their nervous systems...

it has literally shaped the way they think.

It's the key to connecting with them and a bridge to learning.

The skillful use of technology puts the world

at their fingertips...

makes deep investigation possible...

and provides a flexible, engaging format

for project-based learning...

so essential to building critical thinking skills

and preparing students for the workplace.

>>And where do I learn these skills?

>>At a college of education that's striving

to mirror the classroom and the workplace of the future...

with collaborative learning...

multi-platform competency training...

and a philosophy that encourages teachers to imagine new

and creative ways to reach students.

>>What if I created a project that allowed my class to work

with students around the world to document climate change?

>>Could a teacher in Argentina tutor my Spanish students

in real time?

Why not?

>>How can I design a project

that gets my young students excited

about the creative power of math?

>>Do you think in 2020 that you'll wear your next computer

on your finger or under your scalp?

And what kinds of opportunities does that present?

>>The 21st century provides enormous challenges

for educators, but also boundless opportunities.

The ability to inspire

and unleash creative energy is unrivaled in history...

and it all begins with a new paradigm for a new age...

>>I'm a 21st century teacher...

>>I don't have all the answers, or all the knowledge...

>>but I can prepare my students to find the answers

and formulate the solutions...

>>Because I have the key...

>>I have a question.

[Music]