21st Centry Skills Review

After looking over the 21st Century Skills website (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org) I came to realize that there is finally someone on the side of educators. I feel that educators are always being battled against by government, society, and programs that just want what is best for them. All we here about lately is standards and No Child Left Behind, and because of this educators are pushing through curriculum to meet the standards set forth by the government. I am not saying that standards are not important, but that we should be able to meet those standards in the best possible way for our students without facing the thought of our schools being restructured or in the worst case shut down. I believe that the 21st Century Skills program is something that is looking out for everyone involved. They are coming up with standards and processes that will benefit the teacher in the classroom, the learning of the students, and then the companies that will hire these students in the future. The mission statement states it is time that we bring what is expected in the business world together with what is done in the classroom.

I was very surprised by how much work has been done on this project, and that before this course I had known nothing about it. It seems that few states are grasping onto this project, and they are instead still focusing on NCLB. I feel as though this project could be a huge breakthrough in education. It will show teachers how to connect their students to the business world. I know that some teachers come from the business world into teaching, but for a teacher like me who has never experienced the business world past working at a department store these strategies and concepts are something I have never had to deal with. So, by exposing me and other teachers like me to the idea of what is needed in the world today and how to start to accomplish this in the classroom we are only benefiting the students that we teach. I was also surprised by the MILE guide they have, “The Partnership for 21st Century Skills developed the Milestones for Improving Learning and Education (MILE) Guide for 21st Century Skills to assist educators and administrators in measuring the progress of their schools in defining, teaching and assessing 21st Century Skills” (21st Century Skills). What I liked so much about this was that not only does it have ideas for teachers and administrators, but that it has a category for parents as well. This program seems to realize that it is an effort between all parties involved (teachers, administrators, students, parents, companies, and government) to be able to teach our students to become thinkers, communicators, and self learners as Dr. Thornburg talks about in the videos from this week (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

One thing that I disagreed with on the website was that everything on the website was positive. I could not seem to find anything that showed the downfalls of this project. When I read an article or look at a program I not only want to see how great it is, but I also want to see that they realize there is more work to be done and what needs to be improved upon. I know that the company is out to promote itself though this website, but at some point I would have liked to see what they have tried in the past and failed on to show that the program is improving. I would have also liked to see articles from writers that do not like the program and see the website combat those arguments. I feel like there are still a lot of questions about the program, and readers of the website cannot really get answers from what is presented. If the program were to show what people have said about them and then responded in a positive way to show the answers I believe this would have been helpful in really assessing the program. Anyone can make a program look great if there is only positive aspects to talk about, but it is the great programs that can make a positive out of a negative.

Last, I believe that one of the articles present on the website shows exactly what the implications for our students and teachers are in this “new” 21st Century Skills program. The article was ROCKEFELLER CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION REFORM TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH JOB SKILLS (http://rockefeller.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=312976). This article talks about an incentive program for schools that allow for classes beyond the core curriculum. I think what could eventually occur in the United States is a school system that allows more flexibility for students. Right now every student goes to high school, and that high school prepares them for college. Not all students go to college and our current system does not really account for that. There are many bright young students who just do not like school and will not try to do well in their studies. These students aspire to go onto construction or other trades that do not require all of the stuff they learn in school. Many jobs need hands on experience to become great at them. I believe that there is still a place for core curriculum like in the article, but that we do need to offer more to students than just that. After the first two years of core classes schools could either branch out or offer classes that specialize in a trade if the student knows what they want to do. We can still have the college bound curriculum, but there should be some sort of incentive for schools to provide opportunities for students who already know they do not want to choose this path. I know that some high schools already offer classes in education, construction, and even nursing through local community colleges, but until all schools offer a variety of topics for students to look into we will still run into the problem of students not wanting to be in school. By offering alternative courses we are reaching out to the interest of students and helping them learn and think in a way that benefits them and the community they will work in.

Please feel free to comment, argue, or even boost my ego if you choose too. I am always looking for a good discussion even if it means a disagreement.

How to use Blogs in the classroom

I think that blogs would be a wonderful tool in a classroom setting. I believe the most beneficial use would simply be for contact outside of the classroom. Having a blog set up for students to post to can act as another form of communication between students themselves, or a way for the students to reach the teacher. This could be used to talk about assignments, ask for help, or even post an idea for class. Teachers can also post a question and have students respond at some point during the week as a participation grade. This would get all students involved in the classroom and may even bring out the ideas of those that are shy or quiet in class. As a high school math teacher I could easily use a blog as a way to post the question of the week and have students discuss, share, and talk about ways to solve the problems. They can even post their answers and compare them to other students. This will allow for students to check their work with their peers, and may even foster discussion on different ways to complete the problem. Overall the blog could be a great tool for students to share their thoughts on mathematical topics.