This course, EDU77101.5, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, has shaped my thinking about how technology should be used in the classroom. Thornburg discusses the importance of teachers providing students with opportunities to use technology in ways that are relevant providing them with 21st century skills (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a). Student centered lessons that encompass these skills will help teachers prepare students with skills they will need later in life.
To further support the idea that the learning process should involve students using technology throughout their education, Thornburg, points out that many students will enter the workforce expected to be ready to use collaborative technologies, such as wikis. He also addresses the "drive" of changing technology that will take place in the business world, through the younger generation entering the workforce that they will come with “requirements, “such as” bandwidth and what they believe will help them to more efficiently do their job. These will be the students that "embrace technology," and Thornburg hopes that this will stem from the "education" students have received (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b). Miners and Pascopella, point out that a student must be able to read and comprehend using Internet Communication Technologies (ICT), and be able to navigate through them in order to be better prepared for the 21st century workforce. Students need to be more connected to technology using the Web, but preferably, ones that are manageable for teachers and provide for a safe learning environment for children, such as using a Wiki.
This course has also broadened my perspective about the importance of providing students with hands on use of technology. I spent many years in the corporate world, before becoming a teacher. While many employers may embrace new technology, after seeing the benefits of implementing it, others do not, because of feeling the need to maintain control and stick with what already works. This is no different than the uncomfortable feeling that many teachers get when considering using a new technology that expands the students' boundaries. It seems the teachers and students who benefit from utilizing, are ones like, Christopher Dede, who have found a comfort zone and can effectively manage the classroom environment that uses the technology. Embracing new technology in school and the workplace is a challenge for many who are responsible for the success of the people using the technology, in addition to a commitment to the protection and safety of the people and property being used. Still, our students today may not have a choice in whether or not to embrace technology and their world will demand that they come prepared.
Throughout this course, I have learned some ways to lead my students in achieving 21st century skills that will prepare them for the future. Thornburg addresses the importance of the need for students to “thrive” rather than “survive” in the coming century. Some of my colleagues and I have addressed the problem with not having the time or technological resources to teach lessons that involve student’s using hands-on technology in the classroom. Thornburg further states that the problems of today are “wicked” and “a problem that can only be understood today through collaborative” efforts and dialogue. This will allow students to bring ideas together to construct meaning. He further discusses “cyber infrastructure” to form research teams, ones that can be on different parts of the planet, in order for students to share ideas with other students from a variety of backgrounds. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a). Finding the time to implement these ideas presented by Dr. Thornburg, is a challenge for me in my Language Arts and Social Studies classroom. Regardless of the challenges, cyber infrastructure would be a great tool for pulling research from all round the world. Students could share research with other students their own age, but all from different backgrounds and cultures.
One goal that I have set for the upcoming school years is, to set up a project in which my students can use 21st century skills, such as for completing a social studies project using a wiki space. In the article titled, "Partnership for 21st Century Skills," business leaders addressed three specific areas considered to be critical to success in the workforce and they are: global awareness, financial and economic, and business literacy, and civic literacy. As a social studies teacher, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission suggests that teachers incorporate the overarching themes of social studies into their lessons and bulletin board displays. Many of these themes connect to the three issues addressed in this article. By incorporating social networks, on-line reading and writing, and collaboration among students from different backgrounds and cultures, students can better connect to these content area studies and become better prepared for future success in the 21st century and beyond.
Another goal is to continue my education in the areas of educational technology. This will help me to stay abreast the current technological trends and continually provide avenues and resources backed by research to help me decide the best choices for using technology in the classroom. As a teaching professional, it is important for me to prepare my students for the future and enrich their learning through activities that are relevant to their lives. Thornburg makes the point that “technology is a moving target” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a). By engaging in coursework and workshops involving the latest educational technologies, I can offer my students more lessons that provide them with opportunities to use some of the latest technologies. This course has been valuable to helping me to understand the importance of preparing students with 21st century skills.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008a). Thornburg, D. (Speaker). Skills for the 21st Century. In “Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society.” [Educational Video]. Baltimore: Author.
Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008b). (Thornburg, David, and DeDe, Christopher, Speakers). Program: "The Changing Work Environment" [Educational Video]. Los Angeles: Solution Tree.
Miners, Z., & Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District Administration, 43(10), 26–34.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs
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