I had a hard time deciding which direction to go with for this blog post. I was thinking big picture and 21st century skills and how they’re defined, and from there I began to think more in the details of the integration of technology. I began my work on this blog by researching and comparing the description given by Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2013), looking for similarities and differences between the Framework for 21st Century Learning (Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee, p. 89) and other definitions of what is defined as “21st century skills.” Elizabeth Rich (2017) succinctly defines the term as “certain core competencies such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving that advocates believe schools need to teach to help students thrive in today's world.” The elements of this definition: collaboration, technology skills, critical thinking, appear in both of the descriptions or definitions. The terminology of one idea is distinct between the two sources, yet remains similar. What is termed creativity by Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee is described as problem-solving by Rich.
As I progressed through the chapters of Planning for Technology by Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2013), reflecting on the importance of 21st century skills, I stumbled upon a phrasing that struck me as a concise determination of a student’s role and outcome of successful mastery of these skills. The authors deem that “twenty-first century learning is about the ability to be responsive, responsible, and innovative in technological use” (p. 117). The emphasis of technological skills in this description is intensified by the detailed outline of a leader’s responsibility in creating a culture of technology. The idea of how principals and teachers demonstrate effectiveness of technology by modeling is common theme in current scholarly discourse. Where Urbani, Roschandel, Michaels, and Truesdell (2017) explore the role of the teacher in the preservice context, Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee outlines the principal’s role in the integration of technology.
My thinking became a little more specific when Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2013) give the example of a principal modeling the use of technology by using it in a staff meeting (p. 121) and students using technical and organizational skills (p. 124). These two ideas could be combined with the use of an organizational tool, such as Google calendar, by a leader in a staff meeting. This line of thought resulted in information gleaned from many videos relevant to the use of Google calendar. On the practical side of school culture improvement, if the principals model effective use to their teachers, the teachers would intern gain experience and confidence with the use and familiar with the technology desired for implementation. A guide for teacher use is explained in this video:
References
M. (2012, November 15). How to Use Google Calendars as a Teacher. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oNasSAjxqA
Preparing teachers to deliver 21st-century skills. (2012). Preparing Teachers and Developing School Leaders for the 21st Century International Summit on the Teaching Profession,33-54. doi:10.1787/9789264174559-4-en
Rich, E. (2017, January 17). How Do You Define 21st-Century Learning? Retrieved February 18, 2018, from https://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01panel.h04.html
Urbani, J., Roshandel, S., Michaels, R., & Truesdell, E. (n.d.). Developing and Modeling 21st-Century Skills with Preservice Teachers. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://scholar.dominican.edu/all-faculty/303/
Whitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for technology: a guide for school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a Sage Company.
I agree 100% that the technology shift in schools must come from the top! For one, the principal is the one (for the most part) who controls the money for the school. If the principal is not on board with technology integration, it is hard for a teacher to implement it in the classroom due to lack of access or money to purchase needed equipment. Two, many teachers are motivated by what they see school leaders do and model. Not all teachers have self motivation to seek out emerging trends to bring into their classrooms. Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2013) state, "Principals will be integral in setting the direction for this technological shift happening in schools around the world" when discussing how students prefer flexible, learner-centered opportunities (p.121). In order for there to be a school-wide shift in technology integration, leaders in the school and system must be willing to teach teachers how to effectively integrate technology and be willing to model effective use of technology themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for technology: A guide for school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a Sage Company.
"Educators and workforce experts alike often warn that our children need improved 21st century skills" (21st Century Skills, 2017). But what, exactly, are 21st century skills? I love that you chose to examine this as your topic! While each framework has slightly different list of critical 21st century skills, as you stated "collaboration, technology skills, critical thinking" seem to appear in both the textbook from Whitehead, Jensen, Boschee (2013) and the article by Rich (2017). These areas should be the main focus as educators in this 21st century world!
ReplyDelete13 Essential 21st Century Skills for Todays Students [Blog Post]. (2017). Envision Blog. Retrieved from https://www.envisionexperience.com/blog/13-essential-21st-century-skills-for-todays-students