Course: Tech Literacy for Teachers/Staff

21st Century Skills

This sounds like a repeat of module 2, but this module begins the application stage of our training course.  This assignment and the ones that follow it are focused on designing actual learning activities.  One thing that I have noticed while training teachers is that technology skills are up, but integration is the same.  I know that there are many reasons for this, but I have to focus on the message that we can get over the barriers that block integration of technology.  Since technology proficiency is up while integration is stagnant, then the focus of training must be pointed toward application of technology skills in an educational setting.  That is the goal of the rest of this course.

When we discuss 21st century skills, we are not talking about computer skills, but critical thinking skills that require the use of the computer.  This is an important distinction because people tend to get distracted by the idea that students have to learn to use the computer to succeed.  The fact of the matter is that most already know how to use the computer and those that don't will be able to adapt.  Business leaders have been saying that they can do that.  In fact, software changes enough that teaching a child software now doesn't mean they will be proficient when they graduate.

That said, the next step is to identify 21st century skills and look at how we address them.  The first assignment is simply to compile a list of 21st century skills.  The second assignment is to look at how others are addressing 21st century skills and use those ideas to describe a unit of study for your classroom that will prepare kids for the 21st century work environment.