“Education for the 21st Century: The Basics”

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed six elements for 21st century educators. The elements provide a framework for teaching and learning in the 21st century and help focus on areas that need to be reformed within teaching. They center on core subjects that are legally mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. They also focus on the new content areas of global awareness; financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy; and health/wellness awareness. In addition, they address learning and thinking skills that include critical thinking and problem solving skills; communication; creativity and innovation; collaboration; contextual learning; and information media literacy. They also concentrate on life skills such as leadership, ethics, accountability, personal responsibility, and self-direction.
The author suggests that 21st Century Educators need the following skills:
The teacher must be able to adapt the curriculum to teach digital tools. He/she must be able to adapt software that is made for a business so that it is suitable for various age groups. The 21st Century Educator must be a visionary. He/she must be able to look at other’s ideas and see how they could be used within the classroom. The teacher must be able to look at other disciplines and fields and integrate it into the students’ learning. The teacher must be able to utilize collaboration within his/her classroom using electronic mediums such as Blogger and MySpace. The teacher must be willing to take risks to further student knowledge of technology. The 21st Century teacher must be a learner and continue to stay current on the technological advances. The teacher must be able to effectively communicate using technologies. The teacher must also model behaviors they expect their students to display. Finally, the 21st Century teacher must be an effective leader.
Furthermore, the article suggests that there are three factors that must be present for integration and implementation of information and communication technology to work.
The classroom must be equipped with up-to-date technology. The teacher must be proficient in his/her ability to use a variety of pedagogical integration strategies. Finally, the curriculum must implement technology so that it mirrors the world that our students will live in. Finally, the learning space must have a shift from the traditional setting. It must move away from teacher-centered and move toward student-centered. It must be flexible and support technology.
I believe that it is very important to integrate technology into our lessons. The more we teach our students how to use technology, the better they will be prepared to work in the real world. As time progresses, technology will become more and more a part of our everyday lives. Therefore, it is important that student become as proficient as they can in the use of various forms of technology.


Reference:
Education for the 21st Century: The Basics. Retrieved February 13, 2010 from
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