21st Century Learning 

Best Practices

Great Scott! That’s Free?

Introducing Critical Thinking with Wordless Videos


Ormie the Pig — A pig attempts to get a jar of cookies off of the top of the fridge. 

Let Me In! — Simon’s cat wants to come inside and makes some bad decisions! 

Sweet Cocoon — Figuring out how to fit in your cocoon is hard work. 

Rollin Safari — What would animals be like if they were round? 

Embarked — Should a tree house follow its friend? (minimal English words at the end)

TV Dinner — What should you do if your cat won’t leave you alone? (Simon’s cat)

Playmate — An old robot toy wants to play. Will the boy play with it? 

Birds on a Wire — Learn how you should treat others (that are different than you)

Sticky Tape — What should the cat do when tape is sticking to him? (Simon’s cat)

This robust guide, produced by KQED in collaboration with Twitter, contains resources for using Twitter as a learning tool.  Find online safety tips,“netiquette” and digital citizenship guidelines as well as suggestions for teaching and learning with Twitter.

NGSS Engineering Design + Media | Videos and Lesson Plans | Science | K-12

Teaching Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Engineering Design Through Media is a collection of activities and professional development resources drawn from programs such as WGBH’s Design Squad Nation and the Engineering is Elementary® project at the Museum of Science, Boston. These media-based resources illustrate and deepen teachers’ understanding of Next Generation Science Standards and help them bring engineering alive for students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

New Learners of the 21st Century | Videos and Discussion Guide | Educational Technologies | 6-12

Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century explores how exceptional instructors are increasingly using digital media and interactive practices to ignite their students’ curiosity and ingenuity, help them become civically engaged, allow them to collaborate with peers worldwide, and empower them to direct their own learning.

Is School Enough? | Video | Educational Technologies | 6-12

Is School Enough? documents vivid examples of where new modes of learning and engagement are taking hold and flourishing. This new approach reaches motivated students as well as kids that educators call “the bright and bored,” helping these learners tune in rather than drop out.

The Art of Web Design | Video | Visual Art, Technology and Engineering |  9-12

The explosion of the internet over the past 20 years has led to the development of one of the newest creative mediums: the website. Web designers have adapted through the technological developments of html, CSS, Flash, and JavaScript, and have mastered the balance between creativity and usability. Now, the rise of mobile computing is further changing our expectations for responsible web design.

Programming plays a huge role in the world that surrounds us, and though its uses are often purely functional, there is a growing community of artists who use the language of code as their medium. Their work includes everything from computer generated art to elaborate interactive installations, all with the goal of expanding our sense of what is possible with digital tools. To simplify the coding process, several platforms and libraries have been assembled to allow coders to cut through the nitty-gritty of programming and focus on the creative aspects of the project. These platforms all share a strong open source philosophy that encourages growth and experimentation, creating a rich community of artists that share their strategies and work with unprecedented openness.

Digital Dark Age | Video | Information Technology | 9-12

Advances in technology have led to digital media that is easy to access, manipulate, share, and store. However, media we have created and stored in the digital realm from the 1950s to the present is at risk of being permanently lost. Learn how our fragile, rapidly obsolete systems of storing data could lead to a Digital Dark Age.

Digital Citizenship| Video | Educational Technology | 13+

As a student at Paterson No. 12 Elementary School, teacher Carlene Anderson experienced discrimination and felt voiceless. She returned to her alma mater to encourage students to study and value diversity. After budget cuts, Anderson paired with William Paterson University to create a low-cost program combining technology with global studies. The third grade teacher uses dynamic lessons created by the college that focus on the arts, languages and more. Through Skype, this knowledge is shared with colleagues across America and around the world. Paterson students share cultural lessons with students in Denmark, Guyana, Maine, and Hawaii in this video.

Effective Media-Rich Lessons | Video | Technological Integration | 13+

In the video from NASA, two teachers discuss the benefits of using digital media in the classroom, model best practices, and share guidelines for effective use of media in the physics classroom. Their students also discuss how videos and interactive simulations help them to understand difficult concepts like Snell’s Law and the index of refraction.

Let’s Get Social! | Webinar Recording | Digital Integration | 13+

In this webinar recording K-12 tech expert Leslie Fisher explores how to successfully integrate mobile technology into the classroom. Leslie examines top applications and provides practical tips for overcoming barriers along the way.