A beloved child has many names

Some of the buzz words we often hear today, describing learning for the 21str century are just to mention some; personalized learning, interpersonal learning, connected learning, collaborative learning, second life learning, 3d learning, mobile learning and virtual learning.  There is  a change in the paradigm for teaching and learning, or rather learning and education, including formal and informal learning as well as the Bildung concept, from the Humbolt school in Germany. Life, society and things are changing. The blogpost from educatorstechnology claim that "old methods and pedagogies are no longer relevant. The teacher-controlled learning where deconstructed and reconstructed information is presented in a highly formal and standardized classroom settings becomes very obsolete." It is often claimed that the 21st century pedagogy teachers have urgent issues to be aware of, such as:  What is the driving engine behind this huge transformation in learning ? and Do we need a new pedagogy to better enhance learning ? and What do we desire?

Doubters, however often raise questions like: Tell me what is the differences with the new paradigm for the 21 st century, everyone is talking about? Of course there is not just one answer on that, neither are there any simple answers. Probably it is more a question about attitudes, approaches, collaboration and glocalisation. Learning and education today is worldwide, community based, merging generations and cultures within lifelong learning perspectives and dimensions. The way Steve Wheeler argues in one  of his latest blogposts that the community is the curricula raise totally different demands and dimensions for learners, teachers and educational organizations. How will educational institutions cope with this new approach with  a huge variety of physical and virtual communities. Some differences on pedagogy from the 20 century and the 21st century paradigms are explained in the YouTube clip.

Advancements in technology and particularly social networking technologies are changing the whole educational framework. Users have access to information whenever and wherever they want . Blogs, wikis, socializing sites, podcasts, networks more and more democratizing knowledge and creating huge impacts on the process of schooling. Technology advancements have touched every facet of life including education.That’s why every educator and teacher should reconsider certain values and principles and that it is not just a question on technology. What is then special with the 21st century learner: