Why We Need to Teach 21st Century Skills –And How to Do It, by Bob Regan

This article has only confirmed that technology to teach skills is what our kids require if they are to succeed in the adult working world. Things are changing faster than ever. Even things like job interviews are not the same as twenty years ago. Today you may have to take a series of test on a computer before you even get to see a live body. You may never meet your employer or not until much later because your interview took place through Skype or another video conferencing program. Currently where I work there are cases that we’ve had for two years and we’ve yet to meet the judge, the defense attorneys or even go to court. Everything is done using technology. Orders, photos, and requests, and anything else are faxed, scanned, emailed or conferenced. All the information is readily available to all the parties all the time, so there is no real need to drive two hours to get to court, just check it online.

As the article says, textbooks alone can only get us part of the way there. You can read all you want about computers but if you never have the hands on experience, it’s all moot. When students are given the opportunity to do a paper using technology they do better. Sometimes I’ve been writing a paper and tried to describe a feeling or a thing. It’s not easy to find the right words. Whereas a picture a video, or using Adobe to manipulate an image until it says what you want to say just seems to do the trick.

Using technology in school allows students to earn constructive criticism not only from their teacher but also their peers. Kids will tell each other what’s good, what’s not, what’s cool or hot. They can work in groups to develop better projects or a presentation which is essentially the same thing they’ll be doing in the workforce; working as a team to get a project done, putting ideas together to make things better.

I wished I had used technology while in school. Being able to use images and make my own would certainly have helped me have a better understanding of math. Technology allows us to make tangible or hands on things that in the past seemed impossible, which in turn may help better understand concepts and theories.