Introduction

Collectively, the authors of this book have experienced 51 years in the public school system as students, parents, teachers, professors, and researchers. It was not until the mid-1980s that computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, a mechanism to access information through websites and hyperlinks. The spread of the World Wide Web was pervasive. By 1995, at least 18 million homes in America were online, and by 1996, 77% of Americans online sent or received e-mail at least once every few weeks. The World Wide Web has permeated society and has become another way of life, so much so that the United Nations passed a resolution in Article 19 stating that the intentional disruption or limitation of the Internet is a violation of human rights. Although policy makers, teachers, and researchers have acknowledged the value of 21st-century skills, 21st-century skills are not always implemented in classroom practice.