21st Century Skills in the Digital Age

enGauge® 21st Century Skills Literacy in the Digital World (2003) North Central Regional Educational Laboratory and Metiri Group
http://www.ncrel.org/engauge
website - http://www.metiri.com/features.html

Bucklands Beach Intermediate School - Professional Reading Discussion.

1. Summarise the important points in the reading.

2. Summary of the discussion that took place in your group after completing the reading.

3. How do the ideas in this reading affect or impact on what you do in the classroom?

4. Possible future directions influenced by this reading.

Summary of enGauge 21st Century Skills: literacy in the digital age

Children live in a global digital world and need different evolving skill sets to survive in society.
Learning increases significantly when students are engaged in authentic activities. The article is intended to provide a common understanding of what the 21st Century skills are, why they are important and how they will contribute to the success of students. The article also states that schools need to rethink how we deliver education and what literacy means. The challenge to educators is to develop skills that enable them to fully realise technology's most positive effects.

Experts agree that digital literacy does pay in an information based economy - the future. Workforce preparation is dependent on schools to promote cognitive abilities e.g. logical thinking, analysis, problem solving, careful observation and data management.

Technological workers are more likely to be paid higher in IT jobs (85% more) and also more in non-IT jobs compared with non-technological IT workers.

Digital Age Learning:
Research shows that students learn more when engaged - technology serves as a bridge to more engaged learning which leads to higher learning. Teachers need to incorporate technology into student learning, personalised learning and continuous feedback. Educators must stay current to optimise learning and formally and systematically use research to drive change.

Digital Age Literacies:
These include: basic, scientific, economic, technological, visual information; multicultural literacies and global awareness.

Inventive Thinking:
Needs to be able show: adaptability and managing complexity; goal setting and time management; curiosity; creativity; risk taking; higher order thinking and sound reasoning.

Effective Communication:
This includes: team work and collaboration; interpersonal skills; personal responsibility; social and civic responsibility and interactive communication.

High Productivity:
This involves: prioritising planning and managing for results; effective use of real world tools and ability to produce relevant high quality products.



Thoughts:

Students are tasting all 'foods at the smorgasbord' without the cooks having first identified and met the challenges of the various poisons that the meal might bring (avatars, YouTube, FaceBook, etc). There is a need for the establishment of norms and guidelines. Students currently remain vulnerable to whatever pitfalls come their way via the internet as they wander the highways. Can students separate virtual reality from reality? Can they tell the difference between the 'Clayton's, the drink you have when you don't want a drink' and reality? Is their reality becoming the online life? Are students living vicariously and even becoming voyeurs? Do avatars create a false reality at the expense of real life?

What is education's role in preparing the students for their future?