As teachers we see a lot of trends come and go in the classroom. It is often difficult to determine which trends are just passing fads and which are really educationally sound. Only time and data can give us insight into the benefits of different learning programs. Technology is hitting our classrooms and our students hard and it is easy to see that technology is not merely a fad or a passing trend but the new face of education.
After perusing the website 21st Century Skills it is apparent that as teachers we need to not only embrace the technology that we are faced with but to utilize it to instruct our students to prepare them for the future. The website contained a wealth of information, which to be honest at times, was a little overwhelming! The site outlined its objectives which is to better prepare our students for the 21st century work environment. The site breaks its objectives into two separate sections: student outcomes and support systems. What impressed me most was that the student outcomes did not down play the continued need for core subjects such as reading, writing, math, geography, etc. In fact it encouraged the teaching of those skills while incorporating technology and higher order thinking skills at the same time. One of the main goals of the partnership is to weave the core subjects with global awareness skills, civic literacy, health literacy and fiscal literacy- all of which are essential competencies to our ever-changing society.
While searching through the website I was surprised by the idea that high school students are not being fully prepared for post-secondary education. Technology is often targeted in elementary school and high school, but not all colleges embrace technology but rather use lecturing methods to teach. Hopefully the college model of teaching will evolve as the rest of the educational field embraces technology. I was also surprised by the quote of employers which stated that high school and post secondary graduates are " . . . woefully ill prepared in both basic knowledge and applied skills . . ." It is important that our students are ready to face the job market. Many jobs are being sent over seas and our students need to be competent and able to compete in the global economy.
The implications of all of this is that as teachers it is our duty to prepare our students for the future. It will not be an easy task as this will require a complete change in our thinking about teaching, learning, and assessment. I enjoyed the 21st Century Skills Map which offered concrete ideas for how to embrace 21st century skills in the classroom. The portion of the site gave ideas of how to incorporate English skills such as creativity and innovation, critical thinking/problem solving, communication, collaboration, etc. to students in grades 4, 8 and 12. This new way of thinking about teaching can be a bit overwhelming and it is nice to see concrete examples of what these types of learning should look like.
The face of our classrooms are changing as new technology continues to replace the old. Are we ready for it?
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Like just about everything else in America, we don't face a crisis until it hits us in the head. I just hope this is not a knock-out blow. Wheteher we are ready for it or not, the change is occurring. Can we adapt and change in a way that delivers 21st century skills in a timely manner? I think we can, if as you mentioned, we strengthen the core subjects through infusion of technology tools that students are already familiar with. Students want to learn how to think critically and creatively in mediums that are recognizable to them. Incorporating technology in the ways Partnership for 21st century skills advocates promotes responsibility and accountability on the part of students and the school system that is tasked with preparing them. The drastically needed change may be too much for the entrinched establishment to phathom! Perhaps the partnership could ellicit suggestions from the unbiased students they seek to prepare on what the new system might look like?
ReplyDeleteI often wonder how much colleges use technology in their teaching. I get the feeling from my son and nieces and nephews that most professors still use lecture as their main tool for teaching. It makes it difficult for a school like mine, a college preparatory school, to make changes in our curriculum. If we are going to prepare them for college then we have to make them feel comfortable when they get to college. Therefore, we tend to lecture as well. At least, that is the philosophy of my department, a philosophy that I am constantly battling. So, I am also hoping that the college model of teaching will evolve as the rest of the educational field embraces technology. It is about time that we prepare our students for the 21st century but we can only take them so far. The colleges also need to get on board. It seems like they are slow to react to the changing landscape.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteAs a recent graduate from a traditional private college I saw great amounts of technology being used in the classroom. In many of economic classes conferencing was the norm. In my history classes we had virtual field trips, online lectures, PowerPoint presentations etc. were also mixed into the traditional elements of a university classroom. While I did attend a small liberal arts college, friends of mine that attended larger universities told me about other technologies they used, such as card keys to take quizzes online and "hot spots" to download the the lectures onto their laptops before class began. I don't know if public education will ever get to that point in the near future, but I have felt that I have not prepared my students graduating who plan on majoring in Business adequately.
One argument against teaching 21st Century skills is that the core subjects are pushed to the wayside. I found an article that discusses the debate over whether we should teach content or skills called “What to learn: ‘core knowledge’ or “21st-century skills’? (Toppo, 2009). In this article Kay, the co-founder of P21 movement, states that all competing countries with the USA are teaching both core subjects and 21st century skills. I feel we should be able to incorporate skills with the core subjects for our students’ sake.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with you that the face of classroom is changing ever so greatly with technology. We must embrace the new and find a balance of the two ideas, content vs. skills, for the future.
Toppo, G. (2008)"What to learn: "core knowledge' or "21st-century skills'?. USA TODAY. Retreived March 26, 2009 from www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-03-04-core-knowledge_N.htm
Megan,
ReplyDeleteI for many years was resistance to technology and believed it to be a fad that was merely swinging by on the technology pendulum. As my school district has slowly moved teachers toward using more technology like LCD projectors, smartboards, and the use or more software, I see that this is not a fad anymore. Thankfully this program of study will pay off for my teaching and classes. The 21st century site does mention the teaching of the core subjects along with the technology. I do hope that this is true and we can keep our content with new skills instead of content versus skills. I believe with this attitude we can reshape the landscape of the classroom.
Tim