The definition “Being prepared for the real world” is being rewritten every couple of years. As I think back to my final year of high school, we rarely used the internet. That was just 10 years ago. Preparing student with 21st Century Skills is a task that requires more than tests and written assignments. Student must be prepared to utilize their critical thinking and working skills in many different ways. As technology continues to change, the way and materials that we teach must change as well.
To give our student an advantage in truly being prepared with 21st Century Skills, we must provide them with the knowledge to utilize different technologies. For example, the use of PBwiki is a great way to have a discussion with students as a homework assignment. This not only engages them in the use of technological skills, but it promotes critical thinking in which will be published for all to see. This is a great way to introduce them to a competitive world in which they must be able to utilize tools such as; critical thinking, proper grammar, informed opinions, and researched based discussions.
As technology continues to change, we must give our student an advantage. We must provide them with tools to feel comfortable engaging in critical thinking. Who knows where technology will go next, but be assured that it will be an advantage to be able to effectively use it.
2 years ago
This really makes me feel old. There weren't even computers in the schools when I graduates (many, many years before you). It highlights the need for the all important "learning to learn" skill. We can't give students the content they'll need to succeed, but rather need to help them develop the skills they need to learn on their own. I think one of our major goals as teachers is to help and push them to learn on their own. We always talk about how to motivate students, but making what they do relevant and challenging is probably the best way to do that.
ReplyDeleteI put a link in the wiki about a project giving young children in developing countries mobile devices. The directors of the program don't teach the kids how to use it but let them explore. The Hole-in-the-Wall Project does some of the same thing. They'll learn the technology. We need to figure out how to use it to facilitate learning.
I could not agree with more when it comes to preparing students with the skills they need to function in society. Our world is changing each and every day. Twenty years ago, this would not even be an issue, and now it is critical. Kids need to enter the real-world armed and ready, and we need to make sure they are ready. Blogs and wikis are a major component to communication in today's world. What help are we to students if we pretend that they do not exist.
ReplyDeleteYour blog makes me think of the "Did You Know?" video that we watched in the first week. I had seen that before, and it still amazes me every time. Using technology and web 2.0 "just because" we can is not necessarily the way to go, but avoiding it may be even worse. The video said we are preparing kids for jobs that don't even exist today. We need to try and keep moving forward with technology in education, because if we stand still, the kids will get farther behind. It's becoming harder to not have a computer in your personal life, let alone in education and the workplace, where it's nearly impossible.
ReplyDeleteGood point about not just using technology because it is there. That's really our role as teachers - determining what we want students to be able to do to prepare them for the world today (and tomorrow) and then look at all the tools available to us to determine the best way of doing it. It's more useful to think about what the tools allow us to do (collaboration, communication outside the school, analyze and synthesize information,...) as what we are learning today will morph into something else by next year.
ReplyDelete