What are 21st Century Skills? How does Web 2.0 fit in?

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Permalink Reply by Lee Anne Morris on April 14, 2009 at 9:20am

yes yes yes yes yes! I am with you on the "how" and the 3R's and the whole thing. Some teachers for get that technology is more about the "how" and not so much about the "what." I find they often focus too much on the skills of using the technology instead of using the technology to grow skills. It's natural to do that - I get it.

Thanks!
Lee Anne

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Mireles on April 14, 2009 at 12:39pm

Funny, just starting a dissertation and needing to define 21st century skills.

According to Tony Wagner, 21st century skills include: The Seven Surivival Skills for Careers, College, & Citizenship in the 21st Century include:
1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
"The idea that a company's senior leaders have all the answers and can solve problems by themselves has gone completely by the wayside...The person who's close to the work has to have strong analytic skills. You have to be rigorous: test your assumptions, don't take things at face value, don't go in with preconceived ideas that you're trying to prove." - Ellen Kumata, consultant to Fortune 200 companies

2. Collaboration Across Networks and Leading by Influence
"The biggest problem we have in the company as a whole is finding people capable of exerting leadership across the board...Our mantra is that you lead by influence, rather than authority." - Mark Chandler, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Cisco

3. Agility and Adaptability
"I've been here four years, and we've done fundamental reorganization every year because of changes in the business...I can guarantee the job I hire someone to do will change or may not exist in the future, so this is why adaptability and learning skills are more important than technical skills." - Clay Parker, President of Chemical Management Division of BOC Edwards

4. Initiative and Entrepreneurship
"For our production and crafts staff, the hourly workers, we need self-directed people...who can find creative solutions to some very tough, challenging problems."- Mark Maddox, Human Resources Manager at Unilever Foods North America

5. Effective Oral and Written Communication
"The biggest skill people are missing is the ability to communicate: both written and oral presentations. It's a huge problem for us." - Annmarie Neal, Vice President for Talent Management at Cisco Systems

6. Accessing and Analyzing Information
"There is so much information available that it is almost too much, and if people aren't prepared to process the information effectively, it almost freezes them in their steps." - Mike Summers, Vice President for Global Talent Management at Dell

7. Curiosity and Imagination
"Our old idea is that work is defined by employers and that employees have to do whatever the employer wants...but actually, you would like him to come up with an interpretation that you like-he's adding something personal-a creative element." -Michael Jung, Senior Consultant at McKinsey and Company

You can find some good info on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills web-site.

To me Web 2.0 can support the development of 21st century skills since it provides a unique way for students to collaborate, innovate and imagine with others. It also provides a very public & authentic forum for written expression which can support the development of good writing if the lessons are well thought-out using the writing process. In terms of agility and adaptability, students can see the changes and new content that is being developed on a regular basis and understand that they need to learn how to learn and be open to trying new things. Finally, I think integrating Web 2.0 tools can provide us with the opportunity to help our students learn how to navigate and sift through the vast amount of information on the internet responsibly and ethically. We need to ensure that the students see the web as a tool to help them learn but that it's all about balance.

Teachers who integrate Web 2.0 tools also need to provide:
Authentic tasks that have rich academic components and deep questions
Authentic learning experiences away from the computer
Ample time for reflection and synthesis
Regular time for discussion about the many ethical issues that arise when interacting with others both in face to face and online environments.

I love this cool Bloom's 2.0 Graphic which I just came across!

Good luck,

Lisa Mireles

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