1. The 21st Century Classroom
ITC 5220-376
June 2, 2010
Keri Beth Brown
Debi Miller

2. North Carolina State Board of
education goals and 21st Century
classroom design.
Goals supported by the design of the learning space
•Every learning environment will be inviting, respectful,
supportive, inclusive, and flexible for student success.
•Every school reflects a culture of learning that empowers and
prepares students to be life-long learners.
•Every student uses technology to access and demonstrate new
knowledge and skills that will be needed as a life-long learner to
be competitive in a constantly changing international environment.
•Twenty-first century technology and learning tools are
available and are supported by school facilities that
have the capacity for 21st Century learning.

3. To enable change in teaching we need to change
from the “classrooms” of the past to learning spaces
for 21st century learners.
Classrooms of the 21st Century
Past Learning Spaces
• Individual focused • Flexible spaces
• Limited use of digital • Collaborative
resources • Connected
• Lacks adequate • Multisensory
network connectivity • Graphic
• Teacher centered • Blend of virtual and
• Quiet physical environments
• Private • Student centered

4. Flexible learning Spaces
 Larger spaces than traditional classrooms to
accommodate the combining of students groups with
more than one teacher
 Using dividers (i.e. -bookshelves) classroom will
have established smaller, intimate spaces
 Multi-use spaces for creative, verbal, experimental
and collaborative activities
 Furniture is not fixed, but can be re-configured for
multiple users and use

5. Flexible Learning Spaces

6. Collaborative & Connected
learning spaces
 Areas for small group work
 Connected to outdoors spaces if possible
 Circular desk –flexible furniture
 Connection to the school network and internet
through wireless network
 Interactive equipment such as white boards placed
at appropriate height for students.

7. Multisensory & Graphic
learning space
 Stimulating color schemes in paint and fixtures
 The provision of large areas for work displays and
changing visual stimulus
 Allows creation and playback of student created
sound files
 Provides space for kinesthetic activities

8. Twenty-first century technology and learning tools are
available and are supported by school facilities that
have the capacity for 21st Century learning.
Learning Tools Available in the 21st Century Classroom
Data Projector/Document Camera
Wireless Internet with capable band width
Wireless laptops or net books available for each student
Hand Held Scientific Probes
Handheld GPS units
Virtual Tours or Field trips
Digital Story Telling
Micro Photo Story
Audacity
Flip Cameras
Video Cameras
Ipods
Podcast
Interactive Boards
Student Response Systems
Flat Screen Televisions
Interactive Tablets or Slates for students and teachers

9. Every learning environment will be inviting,
respectful, supportive, inclusive and flexible for
student success.
 What would one see when walking into a 21st Century Classroom?
 Students working in teams on various projects.
 Students working on projects involving Google Earth and Google Maps.
 Students sitting at a laptop using Audacity to edit a podcast.
 Students adding titles and descriptions to Morpheus Fortuna's Flickr page.
 Student typing his blog entry.
 Students quietly reading newspaper articles for research.
 Students using laptops to research and taking notes in Microsoft Word.
 Students recording on a wiki page.
 Students using an iPod and Tune Talk for interviews.
 Students sorting through printed material and dispersing to students according to topic.
 Students using laptops to research and record websites and small blurbs on a wikipage
 Students saving pictures to network folder.
 Learn how to Geocacae using
 http://authenticlearn.blogspot.com/2008/01/21st-century-classroom.html

10. References
 North Carolina State Board of Education goals-
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/stateboard/about/goals
 Brooke, Diane, 2008. Designing Learning Spaces for 21st
Century Learners.
 North Carolina Teacher Academy, 2009, The 21st Century
Classroom: Digital Learning Environment.
http://www.catawbaschools.net/staff/Judith_Ray/Postcard
s%20for%20caches/21st%20Century%20Classroom_mar
ch14.doc