I
recently reviewed the website for the Partnership for 21st Century
Skills and was very impressed with it.
Mostly, I was interested in the resources available for teachers as well
as parents and community members. The
site provides current information about the importance of students learning 21st
century skills. I was surprised by the
website providing a “toolkit” that explains how connections can be made between
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and 21st century skills. The
teaching ideas presented in this “toolkit” were few, but they were of great
quality. The activities were meaningful
and covered multiple CCSS and 21st century skills. This resource was surprisingly interesting as
it provided examples of student work. I
have developed a greater understanding through reviewing how to make 21st
century connections.
While
I agree with most ideas presented on this site, I do not wholeheartedly agree
with the notion of online learning environments. I feel that some students going into an
online learning environment may not be prepared for a full online
classroom. However, a simulated online
classroom would be extremely beneficial to prepare the students for online
college classes or online trainings requested from employers. These simulated classrooms could include
online classrooms, blogs, wikis, and other online communication tools.
The
implication that the information on this site has for students is there are
skills which they will need to possess in order to be successful in their
future jobs. I find it interesting that this site has a
parent page. The Partnership for 21st
Century Skills (n.d., p. 4) explains that “[s]chools, like businesses,
communities and families, must adapt to changing conditions to thrive.” Thus, I plan to share this site with the
families of my students during our upcoming orientation to stress the
importance of 21st century skills.
The implication this site holds for teachers is that teachers do not
need to come up with their own resources.
On this site, there are plenty of resources available to assist teachers
with ideas to integrate 21st century skills into the learning
experiences in the classroom.
Resources
Partnership
for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century
skills.
Washington
DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/
Mrs. Davis,
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow educator, I too have concerns about the future of online learning environments and the implications for the brick and mortar schools of today. The world has definitely shrunk due to the ability to easily communicate and collaborate globally due to the advancements in technology. There are many other 21st century skills that students gain from being in a classroom setting, such as ethics and leadership. Although one cannot see into the classroom of the future, there is no double it will be full of technology. As exciting as that can be, the skill of developing interpersonal relationships brings value to actually being in a classroom with peers. One of the joys of my position in working with elementary students in grades K-5 is seeing their personalities change and develop from one grade level to the next. Mentoring students and fostering relationships is one of the privileges of being a teacher and one that I hope future generations also have the opportunity to experience with students.
Julie
I agree with you that students gain ethics and leadership in a classroom setting. They do have to participate in group settings when they enter the work place, so they must understand how to take on leadership roles as well as maintain ethics as a worker. I also experience joy when working with my students. Their energy and overall fascination with learning are what keeps me engaged in teaching. I love hearing their stories and getting to know them each day. I feel that these experiences may be lost if the classroom environment was not present.
DeleteAshley
Hi Julie: I also agree that interpersonal communication (in person!) is vital to student development. I have already noticed a decline in my students' ability and willingness to actually TALK to one another in class, sans devices since I started teaching ten years ago. I am very worried that the more we implement technology and digital communication, the fewer opportunities students will have to learn and practice these very necessary skills.
DeleteAdditionally, I agree that an online environment is not ideal or even appropriate for all students. I have been using a high level of technology in my courses for about four or five years now, and have had two or three kids each year who just cannot adjust to the shift past paper and pencil and traditional lecture. Sometimes they are special education students, but more often than not, they are regular, typical, average kids who just do not learn well in a tech-heavy environment. This makes sense to me; I don't think it's true that ALL students of ALL abilities can ALL learn well using any ONE approach. A blending of methodologies is usually best, I find.