I found the partnership for 21st century skills website very informative. The first thing you see when you view the website is the mission and goal of the site which is very well stated. The website was very colorful and grabbed your attention. The links were clearly labeled, easy to understand, and the entire website was easy to navigate through. It offered a variety of resources for everyone including educators, policy makers, community leaders, and parents. The website also provides several communication methods for collaboration and interaction including an organization newsletter, twitter page link, webinars, and video presentations. The information on this website clearly defines how important 21st century skills are in today’s society and offers valuable information on how these skills can be addressed and taught.
One piece of information on the website that I found very insightful and beneficial was the MILE Guide Self-Assessment Survey. This survey asked a range of questions that evaluated how effective your school and district is in addressing and teaching 21st century skills. The survey provides you with a breakdown of how effective your school and district is in the areas of student knowledge and skills, education support system, education leadership, policy making, partnering, and continuous improvement. For each area rating, there is an explanation of what these results mean and suggestions on how these areas can be improved. This information gave me insight how effectively my school addresses 21st century skills and how we can build on these skills.
Under the Learning Environment section, there is a link entitled Virtual Schools and 21st Century Skills. In this article there is a statement that reads:
“Eighty-four percent of employers say K-12 schools are not doing a good job of preparing students for the workplace “
I cannot speak for grades K-8 but I do know the high schools in our district, which teach grades 9-12, have certain courses and classes that focus on workplace skills and development. In our county we have a division called career and technical education. This department is made up of a group of educators that prepare and equip students with the skills they need to secure, maintain, and excel in the workplace. This department offers courses that teach basic workplace and job skills such as keyboarding, computer applications, small business, and business law. There are also courses that focus on a particular skill or trade such as medical careers, accounting, early child care, auto mechanics, and electrical trades. It is true that every job is different; every employer operates their business in a different way and looks for different skills and talents in each employer. However, I disagree with this statement because I do believe that most educators and most school systems provide students with some type of workplace preparation or at least the skills they need to enter the work force.
I believe that the website can be a great resource for me and many other educators. I believe this website offers a great overview and analysis of the 21st century skills needed in today’s society and how these skills can be accessed and applied to any classroom or curriculum. There is something on this website for every type of learner and a variety of different tools, suggestion, and recommendations for how to best teach these skills depending on our students and classroom environment. The information on this website implies that if students are supported with a system of a healthy learning environment, effective instruction, and a variety of assessment then they can effectively learn and master 21st century skill concepts.
Latasha, I think you have thoroughly described the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website. The resources are impressive. I sometimes over think how to utilize technology in my classroom, when all I have to do is introduce a wiki or a blog, and then let the students take over. I think the categories on the Partnership website helped me find appropriate middle school ideas and lesson plans. My district is tech savvy, but since this is only the 2nd year of our 1-1 Apple MacBook incentive program, I see teachers overwhelmed and grasping at every Keynote presentation idea they see. Our students are bored with making Keynote projects. It is time to offer them projects in iMovie and GarageBand and other high interest applications.
ReplyDeleteOur district offers a few technology courses in high school, but for deeper tech training 11th and 12th graders enroll at EHOVE. EHOVE is a vocational education center that serves three counties. I'm very impressed with EHOVE because the center started technology training 10 years before our traditional high school. These students are more employable than high school graduates because they graduate with trade skills. College graduates in the USA are having a hard time finding employment, but EHOVE prepares their students for the 21st Century by using specific training in electrical engineering, nursing, auto mechanics, culinary arts.
I think our traditional middle and high schools need to re-visit the technical trades and implement a variety of 21st century tools. Utilizing websites as professionally developed as Partnership for 21st Century Skills is the first step.
Excellent post Latasha! I also disagree that we are not preparing students for the workplace. In our district we offer Buisness classes, Home Economics, Singles Living, Wood Working, Metals, Small Engines, and Auto Mechanics for those students that will enter a trade which usually requires some extra schooling after high school. We are prearing students to go on to a trade school or college and we are providing them with the foundation to be successful as students continue their education. The 21st Century skills will give students the foundation to enter most jobs and be innovative and creative. I also feel we are in a partnership with the parents of our students and we need to work together to preare students for the real world. Students are also influenced either positively or negatively at home.
ReplyDeleteThe statement that "84% of employers consider that k-12 education system doesn't do a good job at preparing students for workforce" sounds like there is disconnect between what the education system thinks is important and what the work environment thinks is important. In any case, it also depends on the school district. For instance, in the district that I work the mission is to make all students college ready, which implies that most students will go to college, rather than join the workforce. There is also a list of several courses that are targeted specifically for those students that want to join the workforce.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, the 21 st century skills has the right approach in my oppinion. They focus specifically on those skills that the students will need in order to be successful. For example, nearly all jobs require the employee to have some sort of Media and Technology skills. Likewise, team work and social interaction skills are crucial in any kind of job.