21st Century Skills

 Like it or not, technology is a major component of our every day lives. People that are not knowledgeable in using various forms of technology are falling more behind each day. Almost every job involves at least one form of technology if not various forms. As teachers, it is our job to form our students into savvy technology users that are ready to be successful members of the workforce.

The website Partnership for 21st Century Skills was very informative to me. I would suggest it to any teacher that is looking to learn more about what 21st-century skills are and how they can be incorporated into a classroom. The website does a wonderful job of allowing us to look beyond the technology and see what other skills are needed, as well. In the past when I would think of 21st-century skills I would only think technology. The website discusses that technology is just a tool to teaching students the skills. Students need to leave our room with life skills, learning and thinking skills, and information and media skills. All of these skills can and need to be blended into our daily core subject lessons.

The information that surprised me the most was that not all states are members. My home state, Indiana, is all about changing education right now. I would have thought we would be a member, but were nowhere to be found. The idea that Indiana is not on the list scares me; I fear we are falling behind the states that already are working to improve their 21st century skills. Young people who leave high school today with skills to succeed in post secondary education and training are able to get high wage jobs and face a bright future. Those students who do not leave high school with the skills to farther their education will be faced with taking lower paying jobs in most cases and struggle to support families (Levy and Murnane, 2006). I do not want students from Indiana to fall into the second category of students struggling to find jobs that will allow them to support themselves and their families.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills states, in a digital world, no organization can achieve results without incorporating technology into every aspect of its everyday practices. It is time for schools to maximize the impact of technology as well...". For the most part, I agree with this statement, I just do not want students to completely have to rely on technology to find answers. Throughout the years in my building, I have watched math transition from paper pencil to almost all digital. I love the technology and am excited to teach it to the kids, but I do feel they still need to understand the process and how to work out the problems on paper.

As contemporary educators our job no longer is to just teach our core subject. Our job is to prepare students to go on and farther their education and become successful members of society. This website is a source that can be beneficial in helping us set up our classrooms to be successful. If you have not checked it out you can at http://www.p21.org.

References:

The partnership for 21st century skills. (2011).

http://www.p21.org/

Levy, F., & Murnane, R. (2006). Why the changing American economy calls for twenty-first century learning: Answers to educators' questions. New Directions for Youth Development, 2006(110), 53–62.