Unit 2 Assignment: 21st Century Skills

I really enjoyed reading and watching all of the assignments this week. In particular, I loved the last video on "7 skills that students need for the future."  The speaker did an excellent job of explaining how schools are failing students that have to compete in the 21st century.  Often times when teachers think of failure or disappointment in their own classrooms, they focus on the disengaged and underperforming students.  While this is obviously is an issue and a problem, the highest level students in AP courses are also not getting a satisfactory education.  Too often instruction is based on assessments and while that is not always a bad thing, it is when the test doesn't assess 21st century skills, which they rarely do.  The video made me think about looking at my own instruction to see how I teach each of the 7 skills in my classes.

The first article, "The New Literacy" explored the difference between just using technology in the classroom and teaching what he calls "contemporary literacy."  Too often in classrooms teachers just use technology for technology's sake instead of creating lesson that really require technology to teach a 21st century skill. 

The "Vision of Students Today" video gave a concrete impression of how disconnected students are from the traditional classroom setting.  The images of student sitting in rows with the teacher at the front by the chalkboard while each student updates his or her Facebook was striking and shows just how much things have changed.

Last, IDEO's handout gave 10 tips to help teachers reflect of their own practices and to move from the "Sage on the stage" to the "guide on the side".  Out of the four, this had the smallest impact on me since most of the tips, while valid, I had heard before in other classes or professional development.

I have always thought of myself as a digital native, but after reflecting on this week's assignments, I think I am probably somewhere in-between.  I love technology and have it around me constantly, but I didn't even have a cell phone until I was out of college.  I often share that story with my students and they are blown away--the thought of life without a cell phone is impossible for them to comprehend.