Pedagogical Fad?

A recent article from the Washington Post pointed out (and responded to) by Will and his commenters which makes for a great and thoughtful read.

I think that the article itself is an example of how far the author has to come. His only links are internal to his site, or lazier yet auto links that WaPo puts into his article for him. His main support for his argument is anecdotal story from his own life, while the balance he provides points to actual research supportive of learning in new ways.

I, like many of the people who responded to his article, agree that reading, writing and reasoning are huge in 21st century skills, just like the were last century. This does not change the fact that these skills are more relevant, more fun and more engaging when they are applied in a new 21st century setting instead of an old last century pencil on paper manner. And once we introduce these new options for learning to students they will take steps beyond the classrooms that we currently confine them to.