My reaction to the website Partnership for 21st Century Skills, was what an amazing resource this website is for anyone in the educational field that is looking for resources and or data about how to integrate technology in the classroom and the benefits of it and why it is important for our students to have these skills. The website was overwhelming at first. It took a couple of minutes, of me “playing” around on it before I found the information I was looking for. Overall, it is very eye catching and pretty user friendly. The information on the site that surprised where what other states were doing to try and close this technology gap that we have in schools and how long people are have do research on these new skills that our students need in order to survive in the ever change work place. Another shocking fact was how much other country are doing to make sure that their students are up to speed and or setting the bar for how and what students are learning and using technology. Compare to the other countries the U.S. looks bad because for some reason the county is almost fighting against this change is how and what our students need to know in order to get those “white collar” jobs. The other big shock I had were people’s responses to the articles that were published on this site. I really thought people would be excited and chomping on the bit to try these new ways of teaching in their classroom. To my surprise, people were having the opposite feeling towards the lessons and ideas provided on this website. People were suggesting that it was a waste of time for the majority of students to have these skills and that most students would not need these skills in their future job careers. People were supporting the way that things are currently being done and how could they possible teach these new technology skills when they do not even have enough time to teach the require curriculum. I disagree with all of their comments. It shows me that they have no clue what is going on in the rest of the world when it comes to educating students about technology. They are in their comfort zone with the old way of teaching and they themselves are afraid and do not understand these new technology skills. After reading the articles about how the earth is becoming flat, I see no future for our students unless they posses this new technology literacy skills. The implications for my students and I is that we are going to have to unlearn our current thoughts and beliefs about education. We need to revamp how we teach our students and how schools and classrooms are set-up. This website proves that in order for teachers to stay current on new technology and implications of it for use in the classroom, teachers are going to need to go back to school and continue to go back so they are up to date on the technology so then they can pass that information and skills onto their students. The world is changing and it is time for the education world to change as well.
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I had a very similar reaction to this amazing website. Seeing what others are doing and how far behind my state is really made me want to do something about it. However, I worry/wonder what my fellow teachers responses would be if my school district/state were to suddenly jump on board. Of course I know that there would be many teachers that would be excited with stepping further forward into the 21st century. But, I fear that the majority of teachers would feel even more overwhelmed than they already do. Teachers already have plates that are more than full with the challenges we meet in the classroom today. I wonder what the best approach would be. Have you thought about the reaction in your own district?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that this site is wonderful and provides so much information for teachers on ways to integrate 21st century skills into their curriculum. I think it is great that many states are seeing the importance of these skills and joining with this organization to promote the skills of the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteIt does not surprise me to hear that many people feel strongly about students not needing these skills. When you think about it, who are the people sharing these responses? It is probably people who have jobs that do not require the skill set needed for 21st century jobs. Many of the jobs that will be available to the students we teach are not yet created. If people cannot picture these types of jobs, they would not feel that these skills are important.
More surprisingly, these 21st century skills are skills that can be taught along with our core subjects. It is a matter of how one chooses to implement them.
I agree that we will we need to unthink how we currently teach our students and think of new innovative ways to reach our students. Teachers should be constantly building their "portfolio" to better meet the needs of the changing population with regard to technology.
I think that teachers would become very nervous and freak out if the school district decided to switch to a 21st century skills focused curriculum. I believe that most of the teachers would not be happy only because they themselves do not have the skills. They feel intimidated by the thought of using technology to do anything more then word processing, simple web searches, and checking email. I think that school districts would first need to take a year to train teachers in using technology and giving them the skills that they are in return going to teach their students. If teachers feel comfortable with the curriculum and the technology, then they are more likely to use it.
ReplyDeleteAshley:
ReplyDeleteI think your point about too many teachers staying in their comfort zone is very relevant. Why should they change when they already can do what they've been doing for the past 20 years? If their students are scoring well on the state assessments, they should be alright, right?
Wrong! The state assessments don't assess the important skills. The teachers do not teach the important skills because the states don't assess them.
The other thing you mention about teachers already having too much on their plate is relevant too. Teachers need to realize that using technology skills should not be an ADDITIONAL thing to teach, but just a different way of teaching. Use technology tools to improve and enhance the learning environment, not as an additional subject to teach. Until teachers understand that, it will be an uphill battle. Certainly we need to have more training and support for teachers as well as more equipment and resources.
Chris-
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some great points. The state assessments do not assess the important skills, which they should. And because those skills are not tested, they are not taught by many veteran teachers. They believe that they do not have to change what they are doing because their students pass the standardized tests.
I also agree that teachers should realize that using technology is not something additional to teach but a different way of teaching. And definitely a way of teaching that is more productive and engaging for students. Training and support are key if we want teachers to succeed in preparing students for the skills they need to know.
I think that you all bring up great points. I think in order for teachers to feel comfortable using technology, teachers themselves need the training and the resources. Teachers also need ideas to mimic to get themselves started, which then will lead them to come up with creative lessons that use technology as a medium to teach the require skills.
ReplyDeleteAshley,
ReplyDeleteI see you and I agree. If the computer companies, make the teachers more comfortable using the technology, then it will lead to more creative lessons.
I have been reading a few blogs on this topic and it is become for evident to me that the computer companies have just as much to do with student learning how to use the technology as the teacher. What I mean is that without the teacher's receiving classes, workshops, refresh classes on the technology the students don't learn how to use it properly. Which in tell leads to less of the technology being bought. Which leads to lower profits for the companies in the students demographic.
We as teacher's want to teach, so give us access to technology to make our students stand out.