Week 6 - Philosophical - 21st Century Learning

Blog Response #1 (article)-
       In the fast moving world that we live in I believe that 21st Century skills are an absolute necessity.  Using these skills and integrating them into K-12 school systems will only help students.  Each graduating student will have an uphill battle in trying to succeed in today’s economy.  So anyway to equip them to be better rounded can only be beneficial.  Whether they go to college or learn a trade these 21st Century Skills will be cared in their future.  Maura Banta says in her The Value of Teaching 21st Century Skills article "These skills include problem-solving, financial and business literacy, global awareness, and innovation".  The job of the teacher or educator is to obviously teach students.  But perhaps the direction schools have been in the past is showing less effectiveness.  Stacy Teicher Khadaroo raises that exact point in her Schools tap 21st-century skills article.  Khadaroo says "For decades, the emphasis in public education has been on making sure that students can read, write, and do math. But can they apply those skills in a real-world scenario, such as designing a bridge? Can they identify what information they need and use digital tools to find it?"  I am sure for many new teachers and myself included, the rate in which technology is moving around the globe can be a very scary thought.  But in the same regard it is also very beautiful.  Students are learning much faster and have the ability to reach much higher educational avenues.  I agree with Khadaroo when she refers to today's economy as a "knowledge economy".  To move forward in today's world there is more precedence in earning a higher education for you and the foundation is built though learning these 21st-Century Skills.  A West Virginia state superintendent Steven Paine, refers to two different worlds for students.  The first, being the world of academia and the second is the real world.  He however believes that these two worlds are becoming one.  Job's in the past that were seen as requiring less education now require four year degree's.  I disagree with the Jay Mathews article The Last Doomed Pedagogical Fad: 21st-Century Skills.  "Suddenly, it became clear how 21st-century thinking was far more important than the mounds of content we were expected to force-feed our victims (I mean students)," says Mathews.  I believe this is an extremely radical standpoint.  The original subject matter will always be the most import aspect of teaching.  With no subject matter, teachers would have nothing to teach.  It is obvious that students just would not be sitting in classrooms and learning the Skill set and nothing else.  So we as teachers must help to incorporate 21st-Century Skills into our classroom along with our individual field of study.  In conclusion, I do not believe that 21st Century Skills are a fad.  "Knowledge is Power" and with the direction our would is moving this has become more evident.

Blog Response #2 (video)-
       I personally enjoyed watching Sir Ken Robinsons speech.  He was very charismatic and a great public speaker.  I was able to connect to the video on many different levels.  First, I am a musician and strongly agree with Robinson about the decline in the arts.  I understand that math and science are extremely important subjects but they are no more important than music or dance.  Growing up, I was much like the child Sir Robinson described.  I was constantly moving and hyper.  My parents and I had an appointment though the school to talk to an education expert.  My parents only wanted the best for me.  The Dr. told my parents that I suffered from ADD and would need to be put on medication.  My parent’s declined the offer and I was never taken to that Dr. again.  When I was introduced to music a few years later I was able to grow.  Many of my teachers thought my parents were crazy but now I can say I have graduated with Honors from Seton Hall University and am obviously in the MAT program at MSU.  So what Sir Robinson stated could not have been said better.  The notion that, if students fail there world is over needs to stop!  We must begin to teach that failing is okay only if we learn from it.  Part of growing up is learning how to pick yourself back up.  There also, should be no question whether or not there is room for creative subjects in public schools.  These are just excuses from administrators.  The bad economy is also another excuse on why they won't let music or dance grow.  Us as teachers need to push forward and help pave the way for the future artists.