The Partnership for 21st Century Skills website has always been a bit difficult to use with educators as a learning tool. The mission statement is located in the “about us” section or in the Press Kit under “Events and News” while I think it should be front and center on the home page. I think the framework for 21st century learning page is the most useful part of the website and it is what I regularly share with educators. The framework provides a visual representation of the interrelated nature of the student outcomes and support systems. The links to the 21st Century Student Outcomes provide additional links to resources in each skill area. The links to the 21st Century Support Systems are less useful in that they give a very broad overview of each element. As with most standards, specific actions and methods are often difficult to locate. To use a map analogy, while I think the 21st century skill framework provide a large scale map of where we need to go, it does not provide the specific street by street directions on how to get there. I am also surprised about the relatively few statewide initiatives in relation to 21st Century skills.
I know many educators, including myself, have focused on learning and innovation skills much longer than just the first 9 years of the 21st century. Certainly the information literacy and technology skills have evolved and changed but the focus on thinking, innovation and creativity have been stressed by many teachers over the decades. It is good that a renewed focus is being placed on these critical skills and it sounds like they may also be part of the national report card: http://www.eschoolnews.com/emails/eSN/0122ResourceCenter.htm
Despite some minor website shortcomings, it is helpful having the 21st century skills framework (created by businesses, educational & community organizations, and government) that specifically outlines the skills our students need to develop in order to become successful and productive citizens.
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Schielk,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with many of the comments you posted about the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website. While I agree with a lot of the items the website is trying to bring to address, I think there are a lot of other items that can be included on their site. Your analogy of the “streets” was something I would also like to see on their site. As you mentioned, one of the stronger points about the website was the visual representation provided through the framework. The image provides a very clear representation of what the website is all about.
Kevin
Schielk,
ReplyDeleteI found your post very interesting. Your comments are insightful. In addition to being a K-12 educator, are you involved in teacher training or are you a school administrator? Do you have recommendations for additional links related to 21st century skills?
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteYour map analogy makes sense. What good is it to have the big picture if you do not know how to get to the end? In Ohio, we have technology standards laid out just like the core areas of math, language arts, science, and social studies. These seem to be like the street by street directions you refer to.