Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Dedicated to the Future

With the release of numerous reports regarding skills seen as essential in preparing students for the 21st century workforce, educators are faced with the critical decision of choosing which list of skills to follow and how to effectively implement them into the curriculum on top of covering the many state and federal requirements. After review, I have decided that The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has done a commendable job of designing a resource available to educators in need of guidance in making these critical decisions.

When accessing http://www.21stcenturyskills.org, you will find their mission to “Serve as a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders.” It is a relief to see that they realize that educators can not do it alone; businesses and politicians must also play a vital role. Backed by today’s leading technology companies, educators can bring the globalization into the classroom.

I was surprised to see that several states have already embraced this mission and have devised plans to make it a reality. However, when trying to view the details of exactly what steps each state is taking, I find the information vague and difficult to comprehend. In addition to viewing information from the political standpoint, I would like to see the initiatives taken by individual districts and schools. If you access their report at http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/ stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf, some of this information is available. I believe it should also be an important part of the website.

Although there is definitely work still to be done, it is an inspiration to see that progress is being made to keep education at the same pace as the rest of the world. Responsibility will fall in the laps of both students and educators to learn the and utilize these essential skills. In addition, “We must commit to ensuring that all students have equal access to this new technological world, regardless of their economic background” (21st Century Skills, n.d., p.4). Hopefully, the valuable members of this organization will help see this through.

References:

http://www.21stcentruy skills.org

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

6 comments:

  1. Katie,

    I also thought that the goals and central framework presented by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills were admirable and inspiring. Their nine steps to begin “building momentum” are straightforward and direct (Partnership for 21st Century Skills). They help lift the burden from educators and make this issue a “public” problem that needs assistance from all parties involved in education in order to be successful. At the same time, did you have any reservations? I had a few concerns regarding funding, the parties involved, and this “all-at-once syndrome” that they appear to be hailing as the only way to implement their framework (Mathews, 2009). Now I am not saying I do not support and applaud their efforts, but with anything, I also think the value of questioning cannot go to the wayside. Let me know your thoughts.

    Thanks,

    Christina Mills
    Language Arts (9-11)

    Mathews, Jay. (2009, January 5). The latest doomed pedagogical fad: 21st century skills. Washington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401532.html.

    Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

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  2. Christina

    I agree that funding will always be an issue, especially during this time of financial difficulty. "However,while current budget constraints eventually will subside, the long-term need for 21st century learning will not" (Partnership, n.d., p.2). This year I plan to do extensive research on how to properly apply for grants and other finanical assistance that has to be available through these business partners. At my school, we have several career academies which are backed by local businesses. The technology they receive through these funds is tremendous. As educators, we need to find out a way to make these connections for all students and benefit from a similar partnership.

    Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

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  3. I too, think the Partnership of the 21st century is a great support system for education and that they see that we can not do it alone.

    I also would like to see what each district does to promote and integrate the 21st century skills, but I think the most important piece would be to have all fifty states on board with the partnership.

    Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

    Kate Jorgensen

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  4. “We must commit to ensuring that all students have equal access to this new technological world, regardless of their economic background” (21st Century Skills, n.d., p.4). Hopefully, the valuable members of this organization will help see this through.

    I will have to agree with you on this. It is good to know that we are striving for the perfection of our nations' children. We are ensuring that when they will have entered the real world they would have been trained the real way.

    Sad to say that many will be left behind of all we are depending on is a program like 'The Partnership for 21st century skills'. This program is great but it will require that all those who must survive must have access to proper funding. Many schools, parents, students, and teachers cannot and will not find funding to access the resources made available here.

    It is therefore left to us as educators to go and develop ways and means that will keep our students abreast with the 21st century.`

    ReplyDelete
  5. “We must commit to ensuring that all students have equal access to this new technological world, regardless of their economic background” (21st Century Skills, n.d., p.4). Hopefully, the valuable members of this organization will help see this through.

    I will have to agree with you on this. It is good to know that we are striving for the perfection of our nations' children. We are ensuring that when they will have entered the real world they would have been trained the real way.

    Sad to say that many will be left behind of all we are depending on is a program like 'The Partnership for 21st century skills'. This program is great but it will require that all those who must survive must have access to proper funding. Many schools, parents, students, and teachers cannot and will not find funding to access the resources made available here.

    It is therefore left to us as educators to go and develop ways and means that will keep our students abreast with the 21st century.`
    Barbara

    ReplyDelete
  6. Katie,

    I found the report in its pdf form quite informative and quite nicely arranged. I know the website would be a different experience, however, the report provides snippets of facts and details in away that I found easy to understand.

    I know that it will take a lot of commitment to enact changes in personal teaching styles and techniques to address the educator's role as technical facilitator in the realization of teaching 21st century skills and if we up to the challenge, then the business of education will hopefully progress in the expected way as cited by the document. And where lack of funding would frustrate the process, then the creative application of previous instructional strategies must be carried out to develop these 21st century skills.

    Jewel Meikle
    Science/English
    High School

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