- "Schools were barely using technology, much less developing the tech skills needed of those entering the workforce"
- "Even if all students mastered core academic subjects, they would still be woefully under prepared"
- "Labor force are woefully devoid of the skills that companies need"
- "Schools need to fuse the three R's with the four C's: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity while also making room for problem solving and innovation."
- "The future workforce is here and it is ill-prepared"
- Teamwork, Critical Thinking, Communication
- 70% of participants cite deficiencies in professionalism and work ethic
- 72% of HS graduates are viewed as deficient in basic English writing skills
- HS graduates are strong in: information technology, team work, and diversity
In my opinion, we need to use technology in smart, effective ways. For instance, actually have the students compose Memos and E-mails to one another. Teach them netiquette and digital citizenship and then have them go do it. Teach them to use technology for a purpose other than talking to their friends. We also need to revamp our classrooms. Students need to be seated at tables (not desks) that encourage collaboration. They need opportunities to practice using technology and writing daily. By the time they leave high school, these things should be as natural as breathing to them.
We also need to give them room to self discover. Technology is changing so quickly that something we teach them to use may be obsolete in a couple of years. While teaching them to use technology we need to teach them to explore technology so that they feel comfortable picking up a new program or tool and playing with it until they learn to use it. They need to be empowered while they are educated.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. I liked the bullets that you got form the readings as a "guide line" of where your post was going to cover. I agree that we do need to teach these kids that tech is not only a source to communicate with friends but it has many other educational uses as well...uses that will help them out in the future for them. I also agree with "teaching them to explore" so that they can be comfortable with new programs. That is huge because unless you have that "play time" the students will not be able to get a full understanding of that program....more play the better! Nice Post! See you in class.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteMy biggest pet peeve now in schools is DESKS! I personally always hated working at desks as I felt confined and singled out in my education. Today, when I work with students, I am always trying to find ways for students to collaborate and work together on tasks as this will be REQUIRED in the real working world.
Great post and awesome read!
Nice job outlining the main points to the articles. One of your upcoming projects will be to design your dream classroom. I too have a problem with the way classrooms are designed. Not very collaborative to say the least! Agreed, when you are a business teacher, I hope you do practice with your students the proper way to create emails and memos. I teach this to my students in the Adult Education classes I teach because it is so valuable to them. They need to know how to create a cover letter, resume and not only to do that, but to convert them to PDF format because all too often, they are now required to email or upload them to a website. Nice job. Only thought would be to link to the articles! :)
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