I thought the information on the website, 21st Century Skills.Org http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf , was a start as far as trying to create goals and a direction for the schools to move towards when they begin the change to incorporating 21st century skills in their districts’ curriculum. I do feel, however, that it will be a long time coming before all schools are able to make that change and close the gap between how schools teach and how businesses work. The technology that businesses are using in the workplace and students are using at home far surpasses the technology that many schools are using today in their districts. The problem with making the change and incorporating 21st century skills into the core content areas is money and age. Schools do not have the proper funding to upgrade their technology tools. There are some schools where students have poor quality text books and unrepaired facilities. To think that these districts will be using the technology and incorporating 21st century skills into their curriculum that is discussed on the 21st Century Skills’ website is being unrealistic. Then, there are teachers who are older and unwilling to change their ways to learn how to use and incorporate the new technology. Just as I believe that not all students will be able to meet the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, I do not believe that all schools will be able to incorporate the amount of technology that is being used in the work force. This change over will be a long process unless proper funding is found and teachers receive sufficient training in the technology tools. We cannot expect older teachers to be given technology tools and then start using them; they need to be trained and warmed-up to the idea.
While reading the information about assessment, I found it surprising that students who are use to typing out their writing as opposed to writing it out may be losing valuable time during the timed test. It is true that people can type a lot faster than they can manually write out, and taking your time to have neat handwriting is not an issue when using a computer. Also, if a student is typing during the test and wants to add or change part of their response they can do it a lot easier than if you were writing it and trying to fit the new information into a tight spot of space. However, in my school district, we write a lot without using a computer. We even practice timed writing several times throughout the year before the state test. Therefore, I believe that students should be able to interchangeably write and/or type effectively to communicate.
The website implies that teachers truly need to make the decision to cross over to the 21st century and incorporate the skills that the students will need for their future careers. I agree that it is important to involve technology into lessons so students are exposed to different degrees of technology, but teachers are limited to what their district can afford and offer. The site also implies that the students who do not learn the skills needed for the 21st century will fall behind and be unable to contribute in the work force (21st century skills.org). It is important to be exposed to technology and be willing to learn and adapt, but I feel this is a scare tactic. There are many blue collar jobs that will not require such demanding skills and if they do, I am sure they will offer some type of training.
As a whole, I do agree with many of the points addressed on the website in reference to incorporating 21st century skills into lessons. As a fairly young teacher, I am willing to make changes to my lessons and expose my students to real-life learning situations. They do learn more and are eager to learn when they can find a need for the knowledge and skills. However, the gap between 21st century skills and how students are learning today will continue to be open until proper funding is available to all school districts and teachers are trained in the use of technology tools.
Recourse:
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf
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I certainly appreciate your candor. You tell it like it is. You see the gap between 21st century businesses and 21st century classroom almost as a gap incapable of being closed. Although I agree that the gap is cataclysmic, I think in time, maybe even less than one might think, that gap can be closed. The question is, what will it take?
ReplyDeleteWell, first, it will take groups like the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, to call to arms those capable of affecting change. Who are those? They are huge companies such as those affiliated with this partnership: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=507&Itemid=191. When powerful organizations want change, they can affect it. Who else? How about school committees and Superintendents? They are the ones on local basis who make change. In some states, certain districts are already so far ahead of others simply due to the fact that their decision makers have had their eyes and ears open. These districts not only have made the financial investment in the technologies, but most importantly they have made the investment in the people! They have gone ahead and instilled the fire in their staffs to believe and understand the need to match the skills learned in our classrooms to those necessary to excel in the "real world." These administrations have gone ahead and made progress toward evening out the embarrassing disparity of our students spending an average of 27 hours online at home vs. only 15 minutes at school (Miners & Pascopella, 2007).
So, I strongly believe that with the guidance of insightful organizations like the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the future may not be as bleak as many believe it to be.
It does seem like this gap is insurmountable, but I believe that in the past it seemed like we, as a country, had faced many other obstacles that appeared to be an impossible challenge to overcome.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we can make this vision of change a reality with the right resources, training, and awareness. It is a dream for the future of our schools and education of our children, but eventually it will be a reality.
Dawn