This article took an interesting, albeit wordy look at how we are going to need to begin to teach children 21st century skills if we want them to succeed in life. While I felt as if the article contained some valid points, I feel like if we place too much of an emphasis on technology, we are setting our kids up for failure. As we do not know what the world will bring in a few centuries, decades, or even years, we should still be teaching our children the knowledge they need to succeed without technology as well.
Another thought I had while reading this article is that the 21st century ideals aren’t going to be around forever. The article seemed to focus on making a concrete plan to help children for tomorrow, while at the same time forgetting that by the time this plan is solidified, we will probably need to incorporate new technologies. Studies were shown in which adults commented that the skills they need today are different from 20 years ago. Clearly even the best laid plans will not help our children in 20 years. While we might be preparing them for a literal tomorrow, in a few years, what we need to know will have changed once more. There are some critical skills we need to continue to teach our children that have nothing or little to do with technology. In “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, Mr. Bingley comments that “All [young ladies] paint tables, cover screens and net purses. I scarcely know anyone who cannot do this all, and I’m sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed she was very accomplished.” It is clear from this quote that after some years pass, needs for certain skills change. We adapt and change to fit these needs accordingly without much structured assistance. So while I do think this article makes some interesting points, all in all, I disagree that we need a structured change to keep our kids equipped with 21st century skills.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006
Kozma, R.B. (2009). 21st Century Skills, Education & Competitiveness. Partnership for 21st Century Skills. http://mrgalusha.org/EdTechDocs/Readings/Module%203%20Reading%20-%2021st%20Century%20Skills.pdf>
I disagree with the fact that we are setting up our kids for failure when we teach them about technology. While technology does change, it will not change fast enough to leave our kids behind. They have been entrenched in technology since they day they were born. They no almost nothing else. While it may be possible to fool older people with technological advancement, kids who have been experiencing technology since such a young age will be very hard to leave behind with technological advancement.
ReplyDeleteThis aside, I also believe that it is a bad thing to teach to much technology in the classroom. While technology is important, kids can teach themselves some things, and seeing how often technology is used by kids they will not need to much instruction on how to use it. That means things like problem solving and work ethic will be the things teachers will need to concentrate in order for kids to learn 21st century skills, of course in addition to core curriculum.