My initial reaction to the website was that it was user friendly. After I surfed a little, I wasn't quite sure what it was that I was searching for. Also, my home state of Ohio was not one of the ten listed in the drop down for "State Initiatives." I really enjoyed that there were updated articles readily accessible.
I was most surprised to see that Cisco systems was a primary sponsor. I know that Cisco is a huge contributor to most innovative technologies and to see that they were involved in such a great concept was intriguing. Thinking now, I am not certain how much of a surprise that would be to have such a large technology based firm back a techology based mission. I suppose my biggest surprise was when I read that there was no cost for a state to become a P21 state partner and that all they had to do was submit an application.
I do not disagree with anything on the site and feel that all intentions are pure and true to the concept of improving the status of education and providing an enriched learning experience for our students modeled by modern strategies.
I suppose that the implications for my students and for myself are to be more involved. If the district does not provide adequate funding, ask someone that may have the power to grant you some. Be proactive. The more important lesson to be learned is that we, teachers and students, need to be on the same team in the learning process and be able to learn from one another. I get the feeling that 21st century learning will become a vital tool for our students in their lives outside of the required years they are to be in the school system. What then? Aren't we supposed to prepare them for their future? Whom better to help provide an outline for that then their future employers?
www.21stcenturyskills.org
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Very thoughtful post. Having been in business before, while I think it is fabulous to have business partners but I have to question whether the business partners might in some way influence the direction of the panel to support technology products or innovations that the business would profit for. Don't get me wrong - I believe businesses should be allowed to make money but with all the corruptness and lobbying in government, I worry that we have to be as transparent as possible in education. Just a thought for us to ponder.
ReplyDeleteYes, being proactive is the most important part of staying current in your methods and what we have to remember is that we're not just teaching for the year we have them, we should be teaching for life skills. The interesting fact is that we're not really sure what those life skills may be. Who could have imagined the advances made in just the last 5 years?
If there is no cost for a state to become apart of this initiative and if the only task a state must do is to submit an application, then what makes a state want to join? How can we as educators get our districts and states to believe that this is a worth while cause? The amount of companies that are on board with this partnership lets others know that this is something worth looking into. However, the fact that the majority of our states are not participating is quite shocking. We as educators must set a good example by using these types of resources and information to better serve our students.
ReplyDeleteInteresting question that Sarah poses "What makes a state want to join?" If all that a state must do to become part of the initiative is fill out an application then why would a state not want to join? I believe that many states may be unaware that this initiative exists, or know very little about it. As 21st Century Skills become more and more imperative in preparing today's children for the future these skills will come to the forefront. I personally had never heard of the P21 initiative prior to this course, but now that I know I want to make sure I apply these skills into my teaching from hence forth. Do you think that if other educators knew of the P21 initiative that more would be involved, and in turn more states would join in?
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