Friday, April 10, 2009

Chp. 1 Reflection: new world, new web, new skills

Something that really stuck with me from this chapter was the following statement...

"As educational leaders, we should understand changes in the Web and how they reflect changes in the world around us. We should provide these new tools to our students so that they are prepared for new challenges."

I feel that this web 2.0 course has better prepared me to educate students so that they will be able to face future challenges head on and be successful. This class has also taught me that the internet is no longer just a place to search out information but rather a limitless resource to interact with.

Another powerful quote from this chapter that really resonated with me was...

"In the future, how we educate our children may prove to be more important than how much we educate them."

Even as a primary teacher, I deal with the "how we educate" vs the "how much we educate" issue. Often I run head on into this issue when a parent wants to increase the homework load of their first grade son or daughter. At times it can be hard to get parents to understand that it is not the amount of work the child completes that makes the biggest impact on their education but rather whether or not the activities the child is engaging in are enriching and result in quality learning experiences.

I am glad that this chapter included and defined the 21st century skills that students need to be equipped with in order to lead a successful life in today's changing society. I think there are times when we get caught up in all of the tech tool craze and forget that the tools by themselves will not yield proficient results. I have found the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Website to be an excellent resource.

1 comment:

  1. A quote that I heard recently that stuck with me was: We can't prepare for our future using the tools of your past.

    I am having a few technical opportunities today so I hope I will be able to give you the link to the video. If not, it is on Teacher Tube called "No Future Left Behind".

    ReplyDelete