In order for our students to keep up with the rest of the world 21st Century skills are need. Thankfully P21 is here to helps us make that a reality. With the help of major sponsors like Apple, Ford, and Disney P21 has been able to conduct research and provide tool to help educator and administrators be successful in their desire to prepare their student for life after school. The information on this site was well done and extremely informative, my one struggle was in navigating the site, there were too man links that would bring you to a series of other links. I think it could use some cleaning up in that regard.
Something in the teacher resource section that stood out to me is that the students desire to feel safe and secure is still essential in order for them to be successful in the 21st Century classroom. After that the students need to feel supported. Lastly, they need to be challenged. It amazes me how Maslow's most basic need still holds true today.
Another piece of information that I found enlightening is the history of education. It was interesting to see the shifts made in education to meet the times that they were in. It made me think about how the teachers back then responded to the changes in education. I wonder if they felt as hesitant or anxious as some teachers do now?
One thing that struck me was that after reading over the corporate sponsorships I felt that it was great that they were support a website like this, but could they be doing more? I think that some of these major companies should be supporting school directly. Apple does not assist schools to the degree that they should. They barely discount their resources for education. They shouldn't be looking to make a huge profit off of schools. Ford could be doing a better job in potentially financing STEM programs for school. If these companies cold plant their roots now it could only help them in the future.
Our students need to get back to the top. With all the resources that we have available our students should be able to return to the dominance that they once had. In order for this to happen it will require a lot of flexibility on the part of the students and the teachers. As a teacher, I need to be willing to let go of some of my preconceived notions of how things should be taught, and embrace the new resources available to me. It is very hard to move out of that comfort zone.
To learn more about the Partnership for 21st Century Skills check out its website at www.p21.org .
Great point that we need to get rid of some of these preconceived ideas that we carry. We also need to keep an open mind to change and for things we amy not know all about. I think it easy for teachers to get stuck in a cycle because it is what we know and we do not get out of that cycle due to fear. It is a comfort zone and when we allow ourselves to get out of it great things can happen.
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteIt is great that major companies such as Apple, Ford, and Disney have conducted research and helped educators learn the best strategies and techniques to help their students succeed. However, I agree that these companies barely support schools directly. I think that these companies would benefit in the future if they provide support for schools because students will gain the knowledge and skills that these companies will be looking for in their future employees. How do we go about voicing our thoughts and opinions though? I think that we won't have a strong enough voice if we share our thoughts individually, but if all educators across the country asked for support then maybe, just maybe, we will get the help we need. We all appreciate the research these companies provide for education, but we lack the link between the facts and the incorporation of these technological tools in our classrooms. Furthermore, we need the financial support from these companies to meet the needs of our 21st century students. For the time being, we will continue to utilize the best methods of teaching in order to prepare our students for their future endeavors.