Partnership for 21st century skills
The speed of technology is changing rapidly. The reaction I have about the website on Partnership for 21st century skills was a reality check. Today's educator's need to be more prepared, flexible, knowledgeable and able to multitask. There is a greater need for strong cognitive skills and analytical skills. Educators need to prepare themselves for the rapid changes that are taking place in the classroom. The information that I read was not surprising. The information on the website confirmed what I already perceived about integrating technology in the classroom. I need to prepare myself for the challenges that will take place using 21st century skills. It reinforces my belief that you can never stop learning. Educators must keep an open mind to change. What is useful knowledge today may be of little use in a short period of time. Educators must be aware that students need to be well prepared in both the classroom and in the workforce. Technological has allowed a smaller workforce to create a higher production capacity.
Julie,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we definitely need be prepared and educate and prepare ourselves, we cannot do it alone. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills' website combined with my experiences as a new teacher just further reinforces this idea for me. At this point, I realize that we need to be able to teach our students these skills, but who is going to teach us? Miners and Pascopella point out that even the government isn't serious about technology; they stated that "there are few, if any, federal funds going to schools under the [NCLB enhancing education through technology] mandate" (Miners 2007). If the government is unwilling to invest in education and relying on organizations like The Partnership for 21st Century Skills to pick of the slack, what kind of message is that sending to education professionals and to the students?
Miners, Z., & Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District Administration, 43(10), 26–34.
Rebecca Webster
English 7-12
Julie,
ReplyDeleteAs educators, it is our job to adapt and change to this new 21st century skills mentality. For the most part, I believe that many of us are ready and willing to embrace these new changes, but the reality is that we are not being told of these changes that are available to us. For many years, I find myself oblivious to the changes that were happening in the workplace. I would only here bits and pieces from friends and even students about the new technology or programs that they were being exposed to. It was not until this year that we switched over to Microsoft Office 07, but my students computers are still working with Microsoft Office XP. So, as I try to explain to them about how to use Microsoft Word as an editing tool, the challenge was trying to have them understand how to transfer this information over to the older version. It can be frustrating at times, but I believe over time this gap will become smaller if we make it a priority to stay abreast of the changes in technology.
Dawn
Julie,
ReplyDeleteYou make some very good points. Your first being that educators must keep an open mind in regards to changes over the course of time. There are a number of teachers in my department and in my building who have all of their notes created, planned, and even photo copied for the whole year for all of their classes prior to the start of school. This is insane!!! All of these teachers are excellent and highly skilled, but there is no change from year to year. They are stuck in a stagnant repetative process when their lesson should be adapting to the changing technology and skills that are evolving outside of our schools.
Last year was my first year teaching a full year. I spent every evening developing notes and lesson plans. Now in my second year. I find myself tweaking almost every plan that I had now because I have the use of the computer and projector on a daily basis. I realized early on this year that it would be unfair for my students if I did not use the resources and advancements that I have available in aiding their learning. Number one I have already seen a drastic change in the amount of attention my students pay during class. I account it directly to the interesting new methodologies of teaching that they are unfamiliar to within the school setting.
Paul H.