Evaluating 21st-Century Skills
I am both excited and aggravated by the Partnership for 21st-Century Skills website. I am excited that such an organization exists. There needs to be advocacy for 21st-century learners. The students of today need skills and technology to prepare them for the 21st-century and beyond workplace. Technology literacy for all learners needs to be the goal for the Unites States. Other countries are preparing their citizens with the skills they need now. It is a shame that only fifteen states are on board with this organization and trying to do something to prepare their students for the future with appropriate skills. Many of the current jobs are outsourced because we are not preparing our students for these jobs. However, I love that the Partnership organization is trying to work collaboratively with educators, business, and government and community leaders to better prepare our students for the future workplace.
I was surprised to see so many companies and organizations associated with the Partnership for 21st-Century Skills. Many of them are big name companies that we all know: Apple, NEA, Dell, and Verizon to name a few. I was elated to see that the Partnership is also pushing for professional development. Teachers need to have professional development to aid in preparation of our learners. It was also great to see that there was a readiness guide and information about how to get involved.
So far, I have not found anything that I disagree with.
If this Partnership could get the whole nation involved, it would be interesting to see if all graduates would be a commodity that would be desired by employers inside and outside of the U.S. Not only will our students be prepared for the future, many of them will be able to pull themselves out of poverty. Our nation’s poverty rate could potentially decrease dramatically. Students in every classroom will be prepared to meet a 21st-century workplace and have a sense of confidence knowing that they have the appropriate skills.
Marisa,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of getting all states on board with the P21 skills initiative. If only each state were on the same page when it comes to education and the value of it, we could see a huge increase in students going into the workforce right out of school. I agree with you that it is no wonder why our jobs are being sent overseas.
Julia (TeacherTime)
I also was surprised to see the big name support for this Partnership, especially since I have never heard of it before this week. It is interesting though that some of the companies that support the cause are also part of the problem. I am pretty sure Verizon does their fair share of outsourcing. It is exciting to have such an initiative and I agree with you that it would be something if this more support nationally.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that organization are becoming part of Partnership for 21st century shows that they are preparing for not only the students futures but for the organizations too. The students of today will be working at these places, possibly running them one day. It is great that they are getting involved. These organizations are huge. They are showing a genuine concern for the youth of today. They are willing to put in time/money in hopes for great results. I would like to see all the states involved in this. I'm sure it will get to that point in time.
ReplyDeleteHi Marisa after reading your blog I have to say there are certain comments that you made I do not agree with. I cannot understand why you would be aggravated after being exposed to the site. I think it’s wonderful that it even exist and that so many reputable organizations are on board. What you need to remember is that roam was not built in a day and changes take time, the hope of Partnership for 21st Century skills is that the entire country will come on board eventually. They did make it known that some school boards are already practicing and exposing students to the 21st century skills in their curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI think we need to be grateful that so many organizations recognized that there was a problem with the present school’s curriculum and is willing to work collaboratively to solve the problem.
I do agree that professional development is key to helping teachers prepare themselves so that we can help prepare our students for tomorrow. The videos that teachers can post and view are what I am excited to see. I plan to utililze those so that I can see what others are doing in their class instead of just reading about it.
ReplyDeleteSean
You spoke about the students being a desired commodity inside and outside the U.S. and I think this is where we need to strengthen ourselves. Hopefully without getting too political, we need to encourage our kids to become a desired commodity with U.S. companies and to truly do that we must include U.S. ran companies to be involved in this. Make them stake holders. They know what skills they need in their work forces and the last thing we want in this type of situation is a disconnect with the companies we are trying to get our students established with.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago I cam across an article of college professors and they were talking about how the teaching in science in high school do not align with the teachings they were implementing in colleges. We cannot afford to have the same disconnect with the economy we have here in the U.S.