21st-century learning

Technology integration is inevitable. The last 25 years has brought our society affordable personal computers, satellite navigation systems, smartphones and the internet. Even in Chickasha High School science classes have begun to cling to this technology as an evolutionary learning tool.

Given the brutal wear and tear of a K12 environment, Lenovo has added features to its ThinkPad X131e Chromebook to protect the unit in case it is dropped, such as a rubber bumper around the top cover and stronger corners, and its hinges and hinge brackets are built to last more than 50,000 open/close cycles at school. 

Glastonbury (Conn.) Public Schools is the latest district to roll out a plan to provide iPads to its 2,200 high school students—and it is only the first step to significantly reduce textbook costs and focus on providing a 21st-century learning environment for its students.

Since arriving in the legislature, I have been working to expand the use of online technology in public schools. Thanks especially to the able leadership of two successive chairs of the Education Committee, Rep. Marty Walz and Rep. Alice Peisch, I can now report an important step forward.

My high school engineering classroom feels like the downtown loft of a high-tech start-up. In one corner, students pour over a “smart” air-conditioner device they’re designing. Others crowd around a laptop to trade impressions of a new prosthetic arm on a YouTube video. This is what STEM education should look like.

At two previous sessions, PTA president Mary Harris requested increased access to computers and infrastructure improvements. This time, she thanked the board and county officials for listening.

The internet is where we go to get information, to connect, to collaborate, to share, and to create. With the white paper "Digital Connections in the Classroom," you’ll get a foundational look at the internet and a better understanding of how you can use it to promote learning.

Case study: In the fall of 2010, Hillsborough County (Fla.) Schools introduced online program myON reader to Title I elementary schools and subsequently exponentially increased students' reading scores and their interest in books.

Monday, February 4, 2013 to Friday, February 8, 2013
Austin, Texas

Blended learning combines teacher-led instruction and online instruction using computers. Early results suggest the combination of both models gets better results than either element used alone.