For my Integrating Technology in the Classroom degree I am required to review the website http://21stcenturyskills.org. I am required to review the website and give my thoughts on what I liked about the website, what surprised me, what I disagreed with on the website, and what implications I see for my students and for myself. The website had an abundance of information to review and analyze. Overall the website contained information that was useful to educators.
My reaction to the website Partnership for 21st Century Skills was that I thought it was great. This website had an overabundance of information on why teachers need to adapt their instruction to the 21st workplace. I was impressed by the numerous articles that showed the difference between the modern classroom and the modern workplace. Dr. Thornburg discussed how much businesses looked for employees that were familiar with online collaboration (Laureate Education 2008). The site was excellent for any teacher looking for comparisons between the modern workplace and the classroom.
Looking over the website, I was surprised at the numerous businesses that were members of the website. This showed that they were invested in education and wanted employees that were familiar with technology. I was also surprised that there was any content that was free to download. This site would be very important for any educator looking for what business wanted their future employees to be familiar with.
There was not much that I disagreed with with on the website. One thing in particular was there support for standardized testing. I believe that they meant standardize testing that tested for 21st century skills. Current standardized testing of today does not test any skills that workers need for the 21st century. I need to investigate this further.
The implications for educators and students is that we need to begin implementing 21st century technology today. We are obviously lagging behind the business world and I need to be able to prepare my students for their future workplace. This means that teachers may have to get out of their "comfort zone" to help students become productive citizens. Teachers should look for professional development in technology so that they can prepare their students for the 21st century workplace. Students should be prepared for a new classroom that will prepare them to become productive workers in the 21st century and allow them to seamlessly integrate into the workplace.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2008. Spotlight on Technology: Collaboration through Wikis [Motion picture]. Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. Baltimore: Author.
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Beau,
ReplyDeleteI too was impressed and rather shocked at the number of corporations who have jumped on board with the ideas and overall goals of the Partnership For 21st Century Skills. I think it is wonderful that the word is spreading throughout the country; technology and 21st century skills need to be taught in today's classrooms. If so many businesses are in tune with what students need in order to be successful in the future, why aren't more school districts?
Though I was happy to see the number of participants from around the country, what were your thoughts on the number of states who are currently working with the Partnership For 21st Century Skills? I was disappointed in the lack of participation. If I recall, only eleven U.S. states have partnered up and are trying to bridge the gap between education and the 21st century workplace. As important as it is for students to be learning the necessary skills to succeed in the future, there needs to be more focus on changing the way we are educating our youth. I hope to visit the website again in the near future and see fifty states who are dedicated to seeing this change take place.
-Jonas
Beau,
ReplyDeleteI too was surprised to see that standardized testing was supported by this organization. In trying to imagine what standardized testing that incorporates 21st Century Skills would look like, I had trouble seeing it in the context of our current testing structure. I would like to see research based computer explorations, like mini webquests as part of the assessment process or short answer essays on how each child would attempt to solve a real life problem. I imagine that it would be difficult to test for collaborative skills, but if the standardized tests could be better incorporated into the actual curriculum, we might be able to assess these skills as well.
Do you think that your curriculum could support something like this? Should we be testing these skills within our standardized testing structure or adapt our testing to incorporate these skills?
Thanks for your reflections and thoughts.
-Nancy
Technology and the Social Studies curriculum go hand in hand. There are millions of web resources out there for instructors to use to get information. Videos , especially the short clips of 10-15 minutes are a great tool for visual learners. Wikis and class pages are another great tool for the SS classroom. We are in a great subject area and we are luck to have all the resources available to us. Maps, visuals and public sites from the government are great for primary sources in your history class.
ReplyDeleteGVSU-Jim