The 4 C's

Today’s tech tip is not about a tool. It’s about the skills our students need to be successful in today’s technology-rich world. We call them the 4 C’s (Communication, Collaboration, Critical thinking and Creativity), and they are are surrounded by the larger context of digital citizenship.

Communication

Collaboration

Critical Thinking

Creativity

Integrating technology into your classrooms can help our students develop these success skills. Here are just a few examples:

• Communication--Online discussions, collaborative google docs, and email give students a chance to learn how to communicate in a digital platform. Communication in the digital world is a critical success skill.
• Collaboration--Using shared Google Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations and folders helps students learn to create collaboratively. Face-to-face discussions about digital creations and projects extends this experience.
• Critical Thinking--Having student problem solve is invaluable, and problem solving nearly always requires the use of some type of technology. We research, brainstorm, collaborate and create with digital tools. Chromebooks, iPads and computers can all be used to leverage a vast number of incredible, digital resources available.
• Creativity--Having students “create” elevates learning to the highest levels of Bloom’s Hierarchy, increases cognitive complexity and engages students in their learning. Technology tools serve as great catalysts for the creative process. They not only help us to research and find answers, but they give us nearly unlimited options for products to create to apply and represent our learning. Having students work in groups to create a product using technology requires students to practice all of these skills!
• Digital Citizenship--Students use technology every day, but that does not mean they have the skills to make good choices and use them wisely. We can use our classrooms as an opportunity to teach students these skills in a safe environment under our guidance.

As you wrap up this school year and prepare for next fall, ask yourself this question: How can I create learning experiences in my classroom that leverage technology in a way that helps develop these 21st Century life skills?

If our students have these skills, they will have a great advantage after they leave our school system.

Learn more at the Partnership for 21st Century Learning. You can also contact me at anytime if you want to brainstorm ways to promote these skills in your classroom.