So I went to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website and discovered that I am dumber than I thought. The website is awesome. It has videos and a subscription option so you can blog with other users and the site, links to lots of useful information on pretty much any subject, and lots more. My only issue with the site is that I had a hard time navigating it and knowing how to get to the information that I wanted. But there again, that is probably more of an "I'm an idiot" issue than anything else.
I know that it is a site that brings education, business, and government together, but I was still surprised to see big names like Apple, Dell, Verizon, and others listed as contributors. Those guys know the information age and are helping make it possible for teachers to learn more to help their students succeed in our technology-driven society.
My 11th grade English teacher used to say, "the more you know, the more you know" and in today's world that is true more than ever. The old SchoolHouse Rock slogan of "knowledge is power" and that is proven over and over to be true. I no longer think of information as being redundant, but as an opportunity to hear things that I may have missed the first time, or see something in a different light. Our world is ever-changing, and I do not want to be left behind, nor do I want my students to be. This website is a great tool to access information and be able to discuss that information with other professionals. We're not in competition; we're all working toward the same goal. For the sake of my students, I will keep learning (even if it shows me what an idiot I am). :-)
-Mary Beth-
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4 comments:
Mary, I was surprised too by the amount of information the site provides. I had never heard about it and consider it interesting. I am with you “do not want to be left behind”. I feel that if I am, my children and students pay the consequences. It is great that our students motivate us to reach goals and be better teachers.
Yeah it was a lot of information. It was interesting and believeable. I am very impressed by the big names on the site. I cant believe that I never heard of this before.
Mary, you are not an idiot. I found the website a bit confusing at first because I was trying to find the answers to my specific questions. When I removed my expectations and begun perusing and discovering new information, it was a lot easier to find what I wanted!
If there is one thing that I have already learned about you, it is that you are a transparent thinker. Learning about technology is not easy and I think that you've got to keep doing what you already are: jumping in and seeing what you can find out.
What a great point you made....about the more you know..the more you know. It seems as though the more our kids know about the use of technology and how it applies to their lives, the more they want to know! I am also a teacher that doesn't want to be left behind so I am constantly staying on top of new technologies so that does not happen.
I was not surprised at the corporations backing the 21st century skills initiative. They will be the ones to profit when this catches on all over the world...but that is the way it works.
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