21st Century Skills
Comments(1) | The 21st Century website gives teachers a great resource for integrating the 21st century skills into their teaching. The website explains how core currinulum and 21st century skills can be taught in conjunction through themes. The resource section gives a description of a number of resources for a variety of core subjects and sklls that can be used to reinforce the skills students will need to succeed in a 21st Century work environment.
The only problem that I have seen, is that there are very few free resources available for teachers. As we all know, teachers have very little money given to them for direct use in their classrooms (in my state next year, we are told there will be none). Teachers cannot afford to purchase such programs as the “NeuronFarm 3-D Reader’s”. After reviewing the program, it is seems like it would be a great program to enhance reading skills, however, a licence for just 30 students is $250. This is $100 more than I am given to supply my classroom for an entire year. It would be nice to find some free resources and lesson plans available for teachers to help them understand how to begin integrating the skills they are a required to teach for standardized tests and the 21st century skills that are necessary for students’ future success.
Alecia, it is getting quite scary with budget cuts to conjure up how we as country, let alone teachers, will be able to give our students the technology they so deserve and need to succeed in the 21st century. The points made within this website are relevant and motivating but low budgets do really set many schools at a disadvantage. At least we can begin to address the design of more project-based learning and collaboration. We can teach students how to think critically and discern information. The site offers a good model of how to integrate technology with what we do have available in our schools. We can adjust the curriculum even more to include some of the better programs suggested on the site should we find access to the appropriate funding or grants.