There is a lot of information on this website. One of the things that I do think is interesting about this website is the lack of PE/Health documentation. We are one of the most obese countries in the world and have a horrible diet as a country. Now learning how to avoid major health issues as adults apparently isn’t important, so we will be smart obese people who die prematurely because we don’t know how to take care of our bodies.
One of the things that I did find interesting is the emphasis on things that are not technology related. I have been trying to make my kids problem solve more and more. We also work in groups when we do labs and I am trying to make the learning process more collaborative in nature as well. Motivation is a key issue that is also addressed in this website that our school has been trying to address for the last couple of years.
One frustration that I have that the politicians, administrators and frankly parents underemphasize is the opinion and support of parents. Our school district has many things that other schools don’t. We have 3 computer labs that are designed for classes to visit. There are about 5 teachers that have at least 10 computers in our rooms. We are in the process of purchasing one 16 station and one 8 station COW (computers on wheels). Our entire school has wireless for kids to use on their laptops or phones. We have spent a bunch of time reviewing and aligning our curriculum, and yet we haven’t addressed the parent support of our school. I really feel like until our parents tell their kids that school is important and have actions that match their words, our school is not going to significantly change. This document talks briefly about the support of parents but I think that this area is massively underemphasized.
I feel like I am already being reflective in nature of trying to find ways to help prepare my kids for the 21st century, I just need to continue to adapt and improve my technological practices in my class so that the kids can continue to be better prepared for their future.
Here is the link to the website I am talking about: http://www.p21.org/
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it can be extremely frustrating when all of the emphasis is placed on teachers. We, as educators, need financial, administrative, and parental support in order to fully prepare students for the 21st century. As a kindergarten teacher, I see several students enter kindergarten knowing very few letters and numbers if any at all. When this is addressed with parents, I often hear, "Isn't that what they learn in kindergarten?" My answer is always "Yes, but it helps when students come in knowing the majority of letters. Your child needs support from home as well. Students are expected to leave kindergarten reading books with simple vocabulary." This is often a shock to the parents who have not worked with their children in terms of academics. Parents must be on board with our view as educators if students are going to be prepared to the best of their abilities for the working world int he 21st century!
I have also noticed a decrease in accountability for both students and their parents in the education system. For the maximum success for students’ education we need both parents, students, and other teachers on board. But, as a dedicated educator it is our job to provide students (including unmotivated ones or ones with very little parental support) with the skills and attitudes he or she will need to know for the 21st century. If we don’t the United States will fall father behind other countries who are teaching their students 21st century skills.
ReplyDeleteI also have been using several problem solving activities and collaboration to better prepare our students for skills they will need in the work force.