My reaction to the website Partnership for 21st Century Skills, was what can I do to get my school/school district/state involved?! This website is an awesome resource for anyone in education that needs resources and or data about how to integrate technology in the classroom. I continually hear teachers saying that they want to be more tech friendly but are not sure where to start; I have just found their starting line! I truly am excited to share this website and its valuable information with my staff.
However, I must admit that the website was overwhelming at first. I wasn't sure where to start looking or where to find their mission, etc. After a bit of exploring, I found the information I was looking for and enjoyed their rainbow overview graphics.
The information on the site that surprised me where what other states are doing to provide their students with the technology education that they need to succeed in the 21st century. Another shocking fact was how much other countries are doing and just how far behind the United States really is.
Overall, this website made me want to get more involved as an educator. It provided me with the realities of where our world is headed and what skills our students are in desperate need of. I am further encouraged to get my masters in technology and become a tech facilitator in my school district. I feel that by doing this, I will be able to help guide my state into the 21st century and provide our students with the skills that they need to be successful in our ever-changing world.
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I had the same reaction to the website at first as well. It took me some time to find what I was looking for, because I just was not sure what I was looking for or where to start. The website is a wealth of knowledge for people at all different levels of comfort of using technology. All people involved in the education setting need to read this website and see how far behind the U.S. really is compared to other countries. I think that most Americans think of America as being untouchable and the best at everything. While in the mean time other countries are catching up and passing us by and we are not even aware of it. This site made me all excited about becoming a tech facilitator so that I can expose all of the teachers to all of things that I am learning. This course has shown me that our current tech facilitator does nothing, and there is so much more that she could and should be doing for us.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting that in the article we read for this week's discussion, The New Literacies,
ReplyDeletejavascript:downloadDocument('580b5d821fae97d2012121b1160205c6','580b5d821fae97d20120aff4b6990355') the authors state that we in the United States have the most access and the best technology but we are not using it correctly. The reality is that the United States is behind in technology and in access, and is getting further behind. It looks like technology may be the great equalizer. The distribution of wealth in the world may be changing.
I too found the website to be a little overwhelming at first. Once I really explored it I found that it had a lot of useful information. The Route 21 link had a lot of ideas on how you could get involved and also useful tips to include the 21st Century Skills in the classroom. I think it must begin in the classroom, then school, then your district, and then state. The hope is that if every teacher was informed that our entire country could be impacted. It is becoming more increasingly aware that the United States is following farther and father behind. I think it truly begins in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was helpful to look at the report that was a resource before exploring the website. By doing that I had a little better understanding of some of the approaches and accomplishments of the Partnership. I did find it really fascinating that I had never heard of this before and I wondered how my district might be impacted by joining this group. My school district does tend to spend money on technology for certain things and so I would be interested to know how that might change if they did join this group. I wonder if news of the partnership was spread throughout the country by educational groups there would be more pressure for states to join.
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