- The Aspen Institute Task Force on Learning and the Internet issued its findings today in a report titled "Learner at the Center of a Networked World," making six recommendations on how the government, educators, district leaders, parents, and others can give 21st century learners the personalized education they need to succeed.
- The Aspen Institute is headed by writer and author Walter Isaacson, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and actress Rosario Dawson serve as honorary co-chairs of the 20-person task force of thought leaders behind the report.
- The results of the report, which was funded by the MacArthur Foundation, were presented in a live webcast Tuesday afternoon.
This task force aims to be more than just another committee presenting a gloom and doom portrait of U.S. education. The report addresses challenges like more tech creating a larger divide between students from different income levels, the sudden shift teachers must deal with in adjusting to new technologies, and the cuts in labor districts fear may come as a result — but it also highlights the importance of placing the student at the center of a safe and trusted learning environment (whether that be schools, libraries, museums, after-school programs, or home) innovative tech solutions built to meet their needs.
Among the six recommendations made by the report (which also includes specific action steps):
- Redesign learning environments to empower students to learn any time, any place, both in school and beyond
- Provide educators with skill-building to support and guide learners in a networked learning environment
- Build an infrastructure that will connect all students in all of the places they learn
- Make sure all learning networks are interoperable – or have the ability to share information and data
- Adopt policies to ensure children are taught basic skills - or digital literacies - for living and learning in the digital age
- Create trusted learning environments for children to keep them safe