Posts
I recently visited the web site called “Partnership for 21st Century Skills”. The group mission statement is; “to serve as a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders”. I looked at the sponsor list and discovered a collection of information technology and education based corporations. Membership includes Pearson, Intel, Adobe, Apple, Blackboard, Cisco, Dell and others. The group is working with several state governments to revise standards, develop assessments and implement professional development programs. It appears that there is a good deal of money to be made in changing the way our schools teach. However, that does not mean it is not a good idea. If modern business is conducted in a high-tech world, then our young people have to comfortable with the technology.
I have a natural tendency to be skeptical about any product developed with a financial interest at stake. However, I found the information sensible and useful. Use of technology is used to build on core subjects. The program brings educators, business and policy makers together to develop a path for student success in a modern environment.
One of the tools I found useful was a video sharing site. Teachers can view uploaded videos from other educators demonstrating the integration of technology in their classrooms. This collection can become very useful if a teacher needs to teach core content but wishes to increase engagement using technology. As I am a fairly new teacher, without a great deal of creativity, I intend to take advantage of this resource.
For anybody wishing to visit the site yourself the link is provided below.
https://thepartnershipfor21stcenturyskills238.eduvision.tv/Default.aspx
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I understand your feeling of skepticism regarding the corporate sponsors on the website. Why do you think so few states are listed as participants? Is this someone's political agenda and a way of moving their initiative forward?
ReplyDeleteI checked the video section after reading your entry. I think all these videos are shot by professionals. They look and feel like advertisements of schools. Wouldn't it be more authentic if teachers would have uploaded / shared the videos that they created? I found these videos a bit superficial. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the videos looked too professional. I felt like I was being sold something. It is a shame, but education is a business that is paid for doing well. These companies are in the business of making money and I am sure they are getting a big tax write off
ReplyDeleteFellow Educators,
ReplyDeleteThank you for responding to my post.
Donna, yes! I think everybody involved has a political agenda. After all,what gets taught, and how it is taught is the result of a political process. I cannot speak about any other state and why they may or may not be working with this group. I know that Texas is generally independant and does not follow the trends of others.
Aleaf and Mary,
It did not occur to me until I read your responses that the videos were too polished. I went back and viewed a couple more to verify. You are correct, these video lessons are too well done. I would much rather have raw footage uploaded from educators who just wanted to share a good idea. Thanks for pointing this out.
Have a good week.