Today I visited the website: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
At first, I found myself not being able to get to everything I wanted quick enough. This website thoroughly addresses the skills needed to be successful in the area of technology in the future, and also the means by which we can accomplish this. I appears that if we have the tools and training necessary, the training is there for the taking. The graphics are clear and concise, with an explanation and examples given for all descriptions. The large "Route 21" sign cleverly placed on the left margin got my attention and upon further investigation, it revealed a very organized way to explore much needed information on the 21st century skills.
It surprised me that there are only 10 states that have committed to this program, and it made me wonder what is taking the other states so long? We have had the "No Child Left Behind" mandate in place for many years and yet the commitment just isn't there. Our country needs to put education first and re-evaluate what is the most important track for our nation to follow. In the next few years, it will be interesting to watch how the policies of education and the requirements of our future leaders mesh together.
I did not disagree with any of the information that I read on this site, however, I wish that there were more "In the News" articles. There appeared to be only 7 articles on the home page that were related to this topic. I consider this to be the hottest topic in education right now, so I'm wondering why there aren't more?
As an educator, I would like to see a stronger support system put into place for this organization. They are like a textbook that has everything laid out by chapter and now they are just waiting for enough people to read the text. Let's get going and start the NEW WAVE!!
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I agree with you that the site is not as user friendly as it could be. I actually spent quite some time looking for resources that would be effective in the classroom, which involved going through numerous links to find something I could actually use.
ReplyDeleteThe teaching of the 21st century skills are definitely something that needs more attention in our educational system, but unfortunately this is not something that can be easily fixed unless the new administration in government makes changes to the educational policies. I do think that the we need to put more emphasis on teaching the skills, and also in the STEM classes. What hurts America most with the lack of skills and knowledge in the STEM classes and ultimately puts our graduates way behind other countries in the science areas, and ultimately, in creating new technologies and advances.
I feel that your statement is very true on how the motivation to improve our student's 21st Century skills are just not there. It is also hard to believe that there are only several states that have joined on to this program. Makes me wonder why? I think from our readings this week I will have to say that we do need to put more emphasis on STEM classes in our district just as Travis said above. But I think that is a calling for redoing our curriculum. I think this website offers a lot of insight on how we should do that with Route 21, mile guide, and assess 21. What do you think about these programs? I feel that is what this website really has to offer us educators. I feel that they are good step by step instructions on how to introduce 21st century skills into our classroom.
ReplyDeleteI have one other thing about this website that may be an answer to why so few states have joined. The goal of this website is to make technology the "center" of education. That is a hard thing to agree or to disagree on because there is a lot of what makes up education. What do you think about that? Enjoy your website!
Bryan Ropp
I agree that the website could have posted more articles and information in the "in the news" section. One would think that if the organization was trying to gain awareness of the importance of technology in the classroom that more up to date information would be published to support their ideas. I also posted on another blog that having teacher comments and testimonials would also be a great way to support their methods and ideas.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of whether teachers want to or not, they will have to begin to infuse the idea of technology into their classroom. As we have read throughout this class, the job market and skills are changing for our students. If we are truly doing our best to prepare our students for the future, then teachers must agree to stay current on all aspects of education with technology taking priority over other less essential components in education.