In schools of the future, the lines between what is learning, what is work and what is play will be difficult to distinguish. Decompartmentalization of activity by time and location will tend to blur the lines. Of course, there will be times when the Digital Child will be clearly at play or clearly at work, but there will be many times when these activities are inseparable. Just as 20th century schooling mirrored 20th century adult working, so too will 21st century schooling resemble 21st century adult working. Students who will live most of their lives in the 21st Century will be information literate.
Information literacy is the keystone to lifelong learning.
Today's student lives and learns in a world that has been radically altered by the ready availability of vast stores of information in a variety of formats. The information explosion has provided countless opportunities for students and has dramatically altered the knowledge and abilities they will need to live productively in the 21st century. Core elements in both learning and information theory suggest that developing expertise in accessing, evaluating, and using information is authentic learning. Learning environments are radically changing to suggest that students, teachers, parents, as well as local, regional, state, national, and international communities are interconnected in a lifelong quest to understand and meet our constantly changing information needs. The goal is for all students to be active and creative locators, evaluators, and users of information to solve problems and to satisfy their own curiosity.