Week 3: 21st Century Skills

The New Jersey Core Curriculum standards have been established as a framework for educators to follow in order to assess the progress of each student by the completion of each grade level and content area.  The standards are broken down into 9 content areas and are organized by grade level.  These standards can be very useful to an educator to outline the course as well as keep track of the student’s individual progress. 

But, will these standards allow for educators to work creatively and freely without the pressure of having each student meet these curriculum goals? In my experience, each student is unique and may learn and grasp ideas in different ways, but only relying on the core curriculum standards may hinder the educator from seeing a different perspective and teaching creatively. Although I have yet to be challenged with these issues, I find it very important for me to understand and incorporate these useful standards into my assessments, but still keep an open mind to the progress of each student.

One very important standard that is constantly changing with our environment is Technology.  Today, everything we touch and do involves technology.  It is our responsibility as educators to move with the times and be prepared to use technology in our classrooms. We should be able to adapt our teaching style to keep the students engaged and give them the tools to thrive in our technologically sound society but at the same time give them the opportunity to be innovative.

In the Chatham High School video, Old School, New School, which I consider a very high tech school, we see two very different perspectives on teaching.  Firstly, we are introduced to Steve Maher, a history teacher, who believes that kids are exposed to so much media, that there needs to be a way to capture their attention. He teaches his class using smart boards and podcast sessions to keep his students engaged and interested. He keeps a very open mind to how the students collect information and use it.  Mr. Maher is aware of our fast paced society which demands immediate answers, and is willing to consider this new way of learning and teaching.

The second point of view comes from Rose Porpora, an English teacher, who considers herself a “Dinosaur” in terms of using technology in the classroom. She feels it is very hard for kids today to keep their focus due to the overexposure to technology.  She speaks of the kids having trouble “carving out meaning” when they are not exposed to immediate answers. 

The two teacher from Chatham H.S. seem to have a disconnection in their teaching approaches.  Frank Draper, a Science teacher, from the video Integration of 21^st Century Skills: Hydrology, is a great example of an educator which incorporates the best of both worlds.  He takes his students out of the classroom and into the field to conduct research and experience the work first hand.  After the students observe and collect data, they are exposed to technology by means of computer simulations and are able to see the effects of their experiments in different locations around the country through Google Earth. The students are learning practical lessons as well as being able to use technology to organize their ideas and thoughts. 

Although, I still have a lot to learn about teaching and integration of technology into our classrooms, I find myself wanting to learn more about how to help my students to think on their own as well as use technology as a tool instead of a crutch, to know how to find answers and to know what those answers really mean.  I want to be part of a school and a district which has strong teaching values, but that also is willing to advance in the direction of technology to keep up with our students and give them the most out of their education!