This site when I first began to explore it was frustrating. None of the pictures showed up on my page which was frustrating, with how many times they referred to this rainbow that I was not able to see, until using the pdf file from our class resources. I had a difficult time navigating the site. A number of links did not work and the ones that did typically linked to pages with a short description. I did find some great resource links and great examples of what a 21st century classroom should look like. Overall I would have to say I like the idea of the site and its collection of 21st century ideas for teaching. I am not sure that I disagree with this statement but I did find it somewhat odd “Teaches 21st century skills discretely in the context of core subjects and 21st century interdisciplinary themes”(Partnership 21st) Are students not supposed to know they are using technology or learning 21st Century skills. What I did disagree with is the idea that what they are presenting is new. Most of the skills they are expressing as 21st century are skills teachers have been teaching for years. Creative thinking, problem solving, civics, economics literacy, health literacy, if teachers have not been working to teach these in school we have much further to go than I thought. Of course the use of technologies to teach these skills is new to most teachers but these fundamental skills were taught to me and the generations that came before me. This site to me shows that there will be a change in the way teachers teach and how students learn these skills. Will the fundamentals of teaching change because of this? I do not believe so, I really believe that with all that technology has accomplished and achieved, we as teachers are being asked to do more for students than any teachers have ever been asked to do prior. This thought is based on how schools are still structured; state exams, paper, pens, scantrons, and all the other ancient techniques still held onto in our schools. Pens, pencils and paper cannot be tossed aside but at some point teaching cursive has got to go and until teachers are allowed to abandon these it will continue to be a struggle to incorporate the 21st century skills into an 18th century school model.
(2004). Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Retrieved from
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php
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I believe that what the 21st century partnership is trying to bring out in its report is the need to change the way we teach to a technology oriented way. The basic knowledge Math, Science, Social studies, English remains the same. Way back in 2002 when this report was published, this was not yet of universal acceptance. Though the idea of technology is of universal acceptance now, it is not yet of universal adoption. That is why the 21st century partnership needs to be the arrowhead of pressure that educating with technology is a necessity not an option. The slow pace of doing this is probably responsible for the 'digital disconnect' in students and unpreparedness to compete effectively in the workplace (Friedman, 2005). To me, every responsible school district must not only put technology in the classroom but also put in place a method of its continuous review to change with the changing workplace and train its teachers to respond to the changing technology too i.e. lifelong learning (21st Century Partnership).
ReplyDeleteFriedman, T. (2005, April 3). It's a flat world, after all. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
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
I really like that you addressed the fact that most of the skills are ones that teachers have been teaching for ages. Students have always needed to know civics, literacy and communication skills, math skills, creative thinking, and problem solving have always been required in school; at least as long as I have known school those component have been there. True, they may be required for more occupations, and they may need to be addressed in different ways, but they have always been the foundation of education.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that teachers have to do more now than ever. I think most of my time in the classroom is spent parenting, and my students are adults by the time I get them. What happens is that I don't ever have time for myself or my own family because I'm asked to do so much as a teacher. At some poin, there will have to be a great shift in the educational process and in what teachers are asked to do, because it will eventually become impossible for anyone to remain a teacher for long at all.
I understand your feelings of disillusionment in regards to the fact that we as teachers should be teaching the skills listed on the site. I believe that many of us do teach the problem solving skills, critical thinking, and literacy. I believe this 21st century skills initiative is trying to incorporate all subjects and all critical thinking skills to link them with up with technology. Although, I do believe that many classrooms across the nation are not technologically savvy for our students and preparing them for the future job markets. This is a start in the right direction for making a change, but more initiatives will need to be implemented.
ReplyDeleteDawn