Did You Know?
My initial thoughts and reactions while watching the videos were:
What do we think it means to prepare students for the 21st century? What skills do students need to survive and thrive in this new era?
The video states, “ We are currently preparing students for jobs and technologies that don’t yet exist… in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”
By teaching children to be malleable in how they address problems, we are teaching them to be adaptive in their methods for addressing needs that have yet to be anticipated. Additionally, digital fluency is a 21st century skill that is necessary for students as well as older populations. The ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn a new method for how to do something or address an issue is crucial. A basic example of this was highlighted in the video with regard to the estimate from the US Department of Labor that today’s learners will have ten to fourteen jobs by the age of 38. Similarly, the idea that there are emerging fields of study that have evolved from some need in our world or society that did not exist ten years ago, reflects the need for 21st century learns to be adaptive. Mainly, students need to be fully aware that “shift happens” and they need to know how to prepare for it and adapt to it.
According to Standards In Action, the skills a 21st century learner needs to be successful includes the ability to: inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge. Standards for the 21st-Century Learner In Action provides additional information on what it believes educators as well as students can do to be successful in the 21st century. It is a good read, even when broken up into specific sections.
What implications does this have for our current way of doing things?
The main implications this has for our current way, as well as how things were done in the past, is that they are dated. Additionally, as methods and materials are released, their shelf life decreases much faster than it would have in the past. We must apply the skill necessary for students to succeed to our current roles, in order to succeed there as well.
What challenges must we overcome as we move forward? What supports will we need as we move forward? What kind of training will we need to move forward?
Moving forward there are many challenges that must be overcome on various levels in the educational arena. Policy has to be changed to truly address the gaps in where students should be and where they are. Technology has to be integrated into education in a way that makes it just as relevant or important as math, social studies, and science. To move forward with implementing appropriate policies, support will need to come from every aspect of education. From parents and teachers to educational advocates and technology planners for da district. Part of gaining the support of the necessary parties is educating them on the research and how these changes benefit the student as well as society. This can be done through training on each level. The trainings would need to address what can be done on each level; at home, school, and anywhere else that might be beneficial. Professionals in the fields that did not exist ten years ago would be helpful to show as well. They could share their experiences and how the position they have is relatively new.
Is it possible for a teacher to be an excellent teacher if he/she does not use technology?
Looking at the role teachers have in cultivating the skills of students with regard to preparing them for the world, it is challenging to believe that one could be considered an excellent teacher without using technology. However, there are few absolutes; not all teachers who use technology are excellent and it is possible for teachers who do not use technology to be excellent. The use of technology, over the history of instructional media, ranged from chalk and blackboard to what is used in technologically savvy schools now. So, teachers are using some sort of technology, even if it is not considered current or relevant. I do believe that in our society, it can be difficult to prepare students with the skills they will need, if they are not exposed to the technology that they will use in the world. It limits them. Because there is such a vast range in the levels of access between schools and school districts, in ways that out of the hands of the teachers, students and parents, it would be wrong to suggest that due to budgetary issues a teacher is automatically ineligible for excellence if he or she does not use technology. In all, I believe that it is possible for a teacher to be excellent without the use of technology.
- The one laptop per child initiative, prepared to launch in 2007, where is it now?
- MySpace was a measurement? When was this video created? Because MySpace is no longer relevant.
- Boy, I should have my children learn Mandarin, in addition to Spanish.
- 21st learner skills: Analyze, communicate, remember understand, collaborate, apply, evaluate, create
- School board: are you providing the resources and training necessary to prepare students to be successful in the 21st century society?
- Has the super computer exceeded the capacity of the human brain?
- “Shift happens”, I love it!
What do we think it means to prepare students for the 21st century? What skills do students need to survive and thrive in this new era?
The video states, “ We are currently preparing students for jobs and technologies that don’t yet exist… in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”
By teaching children to be malleable in how they address problems, we are teaching them to be adaptive in their methods for addressing needs that have yet to be anticipated. Additionally, digital fluency is a 21st century skill that is necessary for students as well as older populations. The ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn a new method for how to do something or address an issue is crucial. A basic example of this was highlighted in the video with regard to the estimate from the US Department of Labor that today’s learners will have ten to fourteen jobs by the age of 38. Similarly, the idea that there are emerging fields of study that have evolved from some need in our world or society that did not exist ten years ago, reflects the need for 21st century learns to be adaptive. Mainly, students need to be fully aware that “shift happens” and they need to know how to prepare for it and adapt to it.
According to Standards In Action, the skills a 21st century learner needs to be successful includes the ability to: inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge. Standards for the 21st-Century Learner In Action provides additional information on what it believes educators as well as students can do to be successful in the 21st century. It is a good read, even when broken up into specific sections.
What implications does this have for our current way of doing things?
The main implications this has for our current way, as well as how things were done in the past, is that they are dated. Additionally, as methods and materials are released, their shelf life decreases much faster than it would have in the past. We must apply the skill necessary for students to succeed to our current roles, in order to succeed there as well.
What challenges must we overcome as we move forward? What supports will we need as we move forward? What kind of training will we need to move forward?
Moving forward there are many challenges that must be overcome on various levels in the educational arena. Policy has to be changed to truly address the gaps in where students should be and where they are. Technology has to be integrated into education in a way that makes it just as relevant or important as math, social studies, and science. To move forward with implementing appropriate policies, support will need to come from every aspect of education. From parents and teachers to educational advocates and technology planners for da district. Part of gaining the support of the necessary parties is educating them on the research and how these changes benefit the student as well as society. This can be done through training on each level. The trainings would need to address what can be done on each level; at home, school, and anywhere else that might be beneficial. Professionals in the fields that did not exist ten years ago would be helpful to show as well. They could share their experiences and how the position they have is relatively new.
Is it possible for a teacher to be an excellent teacher if he/she does not use technology?
Looking at the role teachers have in cultivating the skills of students with regard to preparing them for the world, it is challenging to believe that one could be considered an excellent teacher without using technology. However, there are few absolutes; not all teachers who use technology are excellent and it is possible for teachers who do not use technology to be excellent. The use of technology, over the history of instructional media, ranged from chalk and blackboard to what is used in technologically savvy schools now. So, teachers are using some sort of technology, even if it is not considered current or relevant. I do believe that in our society, it can be difficult to prepare students with the skills they will need, if they are not exposed to the technology that they will use in the world. It limits them. Because there is such a vast range in the levels of access between schools and school districts, in ways that out of the hands of the teachers, students and parents, it would be wrong to suggest that due to budgetary issues a teacher is automatically ineligible for excellence if he or she does not use technology. In all, I believe that it is possible for a teacher to be excellent without the use of technology.
