21st Century Skills

ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Developing 21st century skills is critical for today's learners. In order to thrive in a digital economy, students will need digital age proficiencies. It is important for the educational system to make changes in order to fulfill the changing needs in society. The curriculum must include skills that prepare students for the world beyond the classroom. The 21st Century Skills is separated into four categories :

21 st Century Themes

• Global awareness
• Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy
• Civic literacy
• Health literacy

Learning and Innovation Skills

• Creativity and Innovation Skills
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
• Communication and Collaboration Skills

Information, Media and Technology Skills

• Information Literacy
• Media Literacy
• ICT Literacy

Life and Career Skills

• Flexibility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Self Direction
• Social and Cross Cultural Skills
• Productivity and Accountability
• Leadership and Responsibility

What I learned: Education is evolving to include more than just reading, writing and math. There are other skills that necessary for our students to learn. I have always felt that education is behind with what is being taught in school and what the world requires. If we want our students to be competitive in the job markets we need to change things that are being taught in our schools. While many of these changes deal with technology there are others that do not. There are many ideas on what needs to be changed but change does not happen quickly in education.

Was this valuable? YES
I had never thought about some of the changes that are needed to help our students be successful in today's economy. Technology is an area that I have thought about for years and wished there were ways the school could integrate more into the curriculum but many of the other topics had never crossed my mind.

Discussion critique:
I think that people we very good about sharing their experiences and opinions. I looked at topics in a way I would have never thought of on my own.

Suggestions on how the discussions could be improved:
I enjoyed this discussion and can not think of a way to suggest improvement. I have really enjoyed participating in the discussion and seeing what others think and are experiencing.