Partnership for 21st Century Skills Website Review

I spent time browsing and reading through information on the website Partnership for 21^st Century Skills.  Although this site was a bit difficult to navigate at first, I found some interesting information.  I also liked the resources available to educators. 

In the Overview tab, the website introduces the viewer to Route 21 (http://www.p21.org/route21/index.php), a quick guide about 21^st century tools and resources.  I noticed that one of the components was Professional Development.  Teachers need training in instructional technology and 21st century skills so they can learn how to embed these skills into their classroom and also have a support system (Miners & Pascopella, 2007).  Unfortunately, it is more up to the state and district to provide programs for teachers to get needed training.  With budget cuts, it seems less likely that teachers will be given much needed development.  The responsibility is placed more upon the teacher to go out and seek for courses and workshops to improve our knowledge on 21^st century skills.  I appreciate the fact I am going for my Master’s in Educational Technology as I am being given an opportunity to strengthen my skills more and continue to learn about integrating technology into the classroom.  I worry about those who cannot afford this avenue and how they will be given support.

Along the top of this website is a tab titled State Initiatives.  My state of Arizona was listed so I checked it out for more information.  I knew my state had adopted a technology plan but I was unsure of the details.  I learned that Arizona had adopted technology standards and they are supposed to be becoming embedded into the curriculum.  However, I have not heard anything about this and have not received any training in how to do this.  The site talked about our previous governor, Janet Napolitano, and how she had planned to create professional development opportunities for teachers to learn about embedding 21^st century skills into the classroom (Partnership for 21^st Century Skills, n.d.).  I have not seen this happen and I wonder why there was not more recent information from our current Governor, Jan Brewer.  It makes me concerned that it is not a priority in my state.

Something else that struck me was the Assessment section about Arizona.  It mentions how plans are in place to assess 21^st century standards and skills.  However, all these items are going untested right now which is going to make it challenging to achieve real change (Miners & Pascopella, 2007, p. 28).  A part of me feels that people are doing a lot of talking about what we should do than actually doing anything about it.  However, I read a powerful statement that stated: “strategic long-term planning now to integrate 21^st century skills…will be more effective in the long run than adding them piecemeal later” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.).  This is an idea I struggle with agreeing to although I see their point.  We do not want the wrong type of assessments, curriculum, and standards put into our schools just to remove them later on and retrain teachers on a new system.  We need to have an effective plan in place and then integrate it.  I just do not want to see us taking too long only to have to have the technology keep changing.

One area I was concerned about was the fact that schools are in different situations economically.  This site made it seemed like everyone needed all the technology available to succeed in integrating these 21^st century skills.  However, the site mentions that there is not a perfect approach to teaching these skills and that every district must decide what is best for them considering their circumstances (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2007).  I liked that they mentioned this to help relieve pressure that some readers may have been accumulating.

As a teacher, I need to be willing to modify my instruction, assessment, and curriculum to help my students acquire these 21 century skills (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  It requires patience from me and my students but it will be worth it in the long run.  The public school system currently has a gap between what we are teaching our students and what they need to know to be successful in the workplace.  I need to make some changes and I cannot always do things the way I have done them.  This change will help my students acquire the skills they need to survive in school, jobs, and life.  I only see the benefits this will have for my students as young as they are.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 11: Skills for the 21^st century  [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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.p21.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2007). 21st century curriculum and instruction. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/route21/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=13&Itemid=228&limitstart=1