Amberly Media Center

With all of the negative press given to student blogging, I was encouraged to read Alan November’s Framing the Future of Literacy which addresses the question: “How do we best prepare our students to compete in a global economy?”

November warns schools not to become the “learning police,” banning each new communication technology that comes along, instead of guiding students in the appropriate use of technologies that are essential tools in a global economy.

To become “fearless learners,” November advocates three essential skills:

1. Information Literacy
2. Global Communication
3. Self-Directed Learning and Work

November concludes by saying:

The goal for our students in the 21st century is to become fearless learners.

* Fearless learners who have the confidence to learn anywhere, anytime with anybody.
* Fearless communicators who have the skills to communicate anytime with anybody.

I believe we’ve hugely underestimated what our students are capable of achieving. It’s up to us to help them cultivate a global perspective that will be required of them in the 21st century world economy. Providing students with information-literacy skills, building their capacity for communication, and encouraging self- directed learning may very well help them develop the skill sets necessary to meet these demands.