The website Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a
collection of education, business and government leaders who want to see
children succeed in school and beyond. The group works to ensure that students
receive all the tools necessary to achieve their full potential. The site calls
for students to actively engage in projects and real world experiences to
demonstrate mastery of concepts. It's good to see an emphasis on real world
application rather than just studying for a test. The site offers a tremendous
amount of information for interested viewers.
It was surprising to see that the site did not have a
specific section for parents. Parents play a crucial role in the development of
children and many would appreciate any tips available to help their children
become well-rounded. Although it is geared towards helping K-12 students, the
layout of the website and information available does not seem to be child
friendly. The website uses rich vocabulary and has few visuals.
The site also discussed 21st Century Professional
Development. This is a way to help support teachers in delivering the
information effectively to students using 21st century technology. Many
districts have Professional Development, but they do not always teach teachers
how to keep students up to par with the global competition in education. Moving
forward, hopefully support is provided across the state and nation to integrate
new technologies into the classroom.
Being that this partnership is in place, teachers and
students in New Jersey will be directly impacted. There is not only a regional,
but also a national goal that has been set. Teachers are going to be held
accountable to use current strategies and tools to teach children. Children are
going to be accountable for achieving requirements that apply to school and the
real world. Technology has given us an outlet to knowledge all over the world,
and teachers and students should use the tools, just as employees and
businesses do.
Do the National Standards conflict or confer with these proposals? It seems there are already quite a number of problems achieving the previously set standards. What therefore are the implications now for the inclusion of the 4C's and raising the bar to eight(8)core subjects?
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteYou brought up an excellent point with the lack of parent resources. You are right, parents do play a crucial role, so for this organization be working directly with education, they should have multiple resources for parents. Hopefully when more states join the initiative, these changes will be made.
Jessica
David,
ReplyDeleteI did not notice, until you pointed it out, that there was not a section for parents. Getting parents involved in their children's education is critical in their success. For this site to be geared around technology and partnerships with educators, you would think that they would involve parents also.