21st Century Classes and StudentsDefining a 21st Century ClassThe term, 21st Century Class, might at first seem easy to define; however, if you look deeper, the simplicity of a definition seems challenging at best. Is a 21st century classroom one that hosts a variety of technologies easily available to the teacher and students? Or, as might seem obvious, where the teacher and students are able to use the technology? Conversely, it appears that simply being able to use technology in the classroom does not promote the learning transfer that teachers hope for or that students need. “The term “21st century skills” is generally used to refer to certain core skills such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking and problem solving that advocates say schools must teach to help students to thrive in today's world" (How do you, 2010). To become truly literate in a 21st century classroom, it would seem that both teachers and students need not only a working and capable knowledge of the technologies available to them, but also to know how to use those devices in such a way that meaningful learning occurs within. and outside the classroom. Many technologies are available for classrooms and include desktop and laptop computers, LCD projectors, SMART and ACTIV cards, document cameras, digital cameras and camcorders, tablet devices such as iPads, webcams, eReaders and even computerized gaming devices. (Morrison & Lowther, 2010) With so many different technologies available, educators are very busy trying to keep up with all the workings of these capabilities, and sometimes they get overlooked in the middle of the paper. ....Brooks-Young, S. (2008). Critical technology: Issues for school leaders. ThousandOaks: Corwin Press.Clinton, BUS Department of Education, (1998).. President Clinton's Call to Action for American Education in the 21st Century (ED468585). Washington, DC: http://www.ed.gov/updates/PresEDPlan/. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/updates/PresEDPlan/.Gordon, D. (2001). The digital classroom: how technology is changing. (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Harvard Education Letter. Lenski, S., & Lewis, J. (2008). Reading success for struggling adolescent students. New York: Guilford Press. Morrison, G., & Lowther, D. (2010). Integrating information technology into the classroom: Skills for the 21st century. Boston: Pearson. How do you define 21st century learning?. (2010, October 11). Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01panel.h04.html