Comparison of 3 Frameworks for 21^st Century Skills

In this activity I chose to compare and contrast three frameworks for digital literacies.  I also created a visual of this comparison using Scribblar.  These three frameworks can be analyzed chronologically beginning with Dede’s neomillennial learning styles which were created in 2005 and “reflect the learning strengths and preferences of people who use technology now” (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010, p.64).  This framework begins to show how the learning style of the 20^th Century shifted from just getting information from the web to the 21^st Century skills of creating, collaborating and sharing information using Web 2.0 tools. The four points of emphasis are fluency in multiple media, Active learning, Expression through nonlinear, associational webs of representations, and Co-design by teachers and students.  These categories were renamed as Research and Informational Literacy, Critical Thinking, Creativity and Innovation, and Communication and Collaboration in the 2007 framework generated by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Additional categories were added by ISTE to reflect the importance of technology proficiency in hardware, software, networks and other areas of digital technology and the importance of Digital Citizenship in dealing with global interaction. 

Keeping in mind that technologies are ever evolving, it is important to remember that the skills of the 21^st Century enable people to use tools “to accomplish an objective that is otherwise unobtainable (such as the remote collaboration of a team scattered across the globe via groupware)” (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010, p.63). This new type of “distributed cognition” (p. 63) is reflected in the framework created by Henry Jenkins in 2009.  Navigating multiple forms of media and using one’s judgment to select appropriate media to use is a demonstration of Research and Information Literacy.  Having a sense of experimentation and discovery in the constructions of models for real-world processes reflects the ability to problem solve, think critically and make decisions.  Collaborating, networking and negotiating harness the power of the collective intelligence of a team.  Finally, the ability to use, synchronize, scan various digital technologies to access and use information demonstrates proficiency in operations of technology.  

Please view my visual representation of these frameworks:

http://screencast.com/t/5UEa3Ox3H8Ze

References:

Bellanca, J. A., & Brandt, R. S. (2010). 21st century skills: rethinking how students learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.