Historically education in America and elsewhere has undergone many changes due to different internal and external factors, for some states and nations educational system is no longer centralized but decentralized on district and school levels. The school based curricula and syllabi have been designed and developed and home schooling is accepted. These factors are continuously coming up and they are challenges to education systems, the major factors of today are economical global competitions and developing of the new technology.

 The authors of chapters two, seven and eleven have common issues of how the present education system can be redesigned to infuse and accommodate the new rapid growing technological knowledge, how can the already overcrowded curriculum accommodate new technological knowledge which doubles every two years. How can education solve and answer the ever growing problems of the complex society. The authors have common points and yet unique, they call for innovation in education and the departure point is through technology, they call for participatory and collaborative system .They proposes student engagement, motivation of the learners and continuous assessment and the curriculum that can be adoptive and flexible to new knowledge. Good preparation of teachers and Professional development for school teachers and leaders, the school infrastructure and resources that must facilitate the changes. Linda Darling proposes policy changes and equitable distribution of resources that no child is left behind. Jay McTighe and Elliot Seif give a comprehensive practical   implementation frame work to support the 21 st century skills.  According to Cheryl Lemke    Internet, information technology influence our lives either directly or indirectly wherever we may be on the global; it has become part of our lives in different aspects .There are core sectors and activities in life of the nation and individuals globally that are computerilized and controlled through information communication technology like economy and other departments like health and even education. How can the information technology then facilitate the learning today?

Are the learners of today being prepared and equipped to work in digital society characterized by internet and different social net works and be productive? What knowledge and skills are appropriate for them and for the future? Education involves different stake holders in society like parents and especially business community or private sector which needs different employees qualified in various fields so the need for change does not come only from education establishments, government but from different stakeholders. The knowledge and skills to be learned and taught in schools cannot be in isolation because of the global    interrelationship   and interdependent, economical challenges and global economic competition. Are the present education policies ready and what can be changed and not changed?  There are many challenges, there are parents who complain of technology and control the children they do not understand how the information technology is resourceful for the learners and there are schools and teachers who are not prepared.

 How can information technology and the knowledge which can be accessible from computers, IPods and on phones help the students to be prepared for 21 st century skills? How can the new skills be part of academic areas and be transferable to the new situation. This leads to assessment and evaluation of the current systems, curricula and their contents and make necessary adjustments.

All schools, primary secondary, high schools, colleges, universities and educational institutes have their mission statements from their foundations, but are they still valid or are they  empty words, are they still focused; do they correspond and match with needed  the 21 st century skills, have they achieved their mission?

 Historically education has gone under many changes due to different factors, different models of education have been redesigned as result there are school based curricula with different objectives and goals. Today’s factors are more complex, how can any  model of education take into account and involve information technology ,are  all  schools and institution in the country  ready for it?  

The agreed point is that they must be innovation, a comprehensive and systematic approach and continuous assessment so that a focused, purposeful and strong curriculum may be developed. Though the curriculum is not static but how can already overcrowded prepared curriculum balance and infuse the new knowledge which comes rapidly, are the teachers and stake holders like parents prepared? There many factors that guide and influence the education today, there is economical global competition, and how can a detailed syllabi of what to be learned be developed? Are the proposed policies, frameworks and technological methods workable and affordable to all schools?

Historically education in America and elsewhere has undergone many changes due to different internal and external factors, for some states and nations educational system is no longer centralized but decentralized on district and school levels. The school based curricula and syllabi have been designed and developed and home schooling is accepted. These factors are continuously coming up and they are challenges to education systems, the major factors of today are economical global competitions and developing of the new technology.

 The authors of chapters two, seven and eleven have common issues of how the present education system can be redesigned to infuse and accommodate the new rapid growing technological knowledge, how can the already overcrowded curriculum accommodate new technological knowledge which doubles every two years. How can education solve and answer the ever growing problems of the complex society. The authors have common points and yet unique, they call for innovation in education and the departure point is through technology, they call for participatory and collaborative system .They proposes student engagement, motivation of the learners and continuous assessment and the curriculum that can be adoptive and flexible to new knowledge. Good preparation of teachers and Professional development for school teachers and leaders, the school infrastructure and resources that must facilitate the changes. Linda Darling proposes policy changes and equitable distribution of resources that no child is left behind. Jay McTighe and Elliot Seif give a comprehensive practical   implementation frame work to support the 21 st century skills.  According to Cheryl Lemke    Internet, information technology influence our lives either directly or indirectly wherever we may be on the global; it has become part of our lives in different aspects .There are core sectors and activities in life of the nation and individuals globally that are computerilized and controlled through information communication technology like economy and other departments like health and even education. How can the information technology then facilitate the learning today?

Are the learners of today being prepared and equipped to work in digital society characterized by internet and different social net works and be productive? What knowledge and skills are appropriate for them and for the future? Education involves different stake holders in society like parents and especially business community or private sector which needs different employees qualified in various fields so the need for change does not come only from education establishments, government but from different stakeholders. The knowledge and skills to be learned and taught in schools cannot be in isolation because of the global    interrelationship   and interdependent, economical challenges and global economic competition. Are the present education policies ready and what can be changed and not changed?  There are many challenges, there are parents who complain of technology and control the children they do not understand how the information technology is resourceful for the learners and there are schools and teachers who are not prepared.

 How can information technology and the knowledge which can be accessible from computers, IPods and on phones help the students to be prepared for 21 st century skills? How can the new skills be part of academic areas and be transferable to the new situation. This leads to assessment and evaluation of the current systems, curricula and their contents and make necessary adjustments.

All schools, primary secondary, high schools, colleges, universities and educational institutes have their mission statements from their foundations, but are they still valid or are they  empty words, are they still focused; do they correspond and match with needed  the 21 st century skills, have they achieved their mission?

 Historically education has gone under many changes due to different factors, different models of education have been redesigned as result there are school based curricula with different objectives and goals. Today’s factors are more complex, how can any  model of education take into account and involve information technology ,are  all  schools and institution in the country  ready for it?  

The agreed point is that they must be innovation, a comprehensive and systematic approach and continuous assessment so that a focused, purposeful and strong curriculum may be developed. Though the curriculum is not static but how can already overcrowded prepared curriculum balance and infuse the new knowledge which comes rapidly, are the teachers and stake holders like parents prepared? There many factors that guide and influence the education today, there is economical global competition, and how can a detailed syllabi of what to be learned be developed? Are the proposed policies, frameworks and technological methods workable and affordable to all schools?

  Emmanuel Rutangusa

ISTE (technical issues)

As one understands the ISTE of learning in a broad generalized sense, it is a stated mantra of how the school wants to go about teaching its declared population.  In another sense it communicates to the intended public just what the school is about in terms of its teaching delivery.  With the outlined objectives of a school’s ISTE, teachers can begin to create a comprehensive curriculum that is more apt to follow a stated value system as dictated by the ISTE.  Furthermore, teachers are now buying into the collective mission statement but still leaving room for independent growth.

The ISTE of learning as it pertains to the teaching environment at Everest Institute states that each student is expected to actively participate in the hope and aspirations of developing themselves as better candidates for positions as entry level medical professionals.  The school’s director of education passionately believes the best way to reach this goal is the diligent participation of each individual student.  Similar to the ISTEs listed for the Massachusetts department of education there is a component of the values that take into account the very real necessity for interacting with an ever growing diverse population.  Everest’s own system is highly dependent on the successful interaction of its students with the many different communities its career services department works with.

It is vitally prudent for our students to know their implicit importance to the communities they both serve and come from.  What is also built into the ISTE of learning at Everest is that the student is the sustainable growth mechanism for the school’s curriculum.  In other words, the curriculum emphasizes that the student is needed in his or her own community because there is a desperate requirement to involve them with the lasting charge of making their environment better once they have received the training to do so.  It is a kind of “supply side economics” with a home-grown twist.  Getting individuals to care about their own troubled environment is not an easy task.  However, the requisite need to do so is bolstered by the value added benefit of teaching students that community stewardship is its own best reward.

Additionally, students are taught what to look for when trying to bring these new skills to a doctor’s office.  In essence there is a heightened sense of urgency to these scenarios.  The entry level medical professional is the first line of communication between the chasm of highly trained physicians and a newly registered family of immigrants.  Our students are taught to use this brief period of confusion to their advantage.  By implementing the ISTE of learning that makes diversity training so vital, Everest students employ a calm demeanor to ease this transition.  This is the strength of a school like Everest.

The inherent flaw of a proprietary schools ISTE is the lack of importance to the idea of being a life long learner.  Everest is a seven month certificate program designed to get students into the workforce quickly.  Even throughout the program there is no stated objective to continue on to a two year Associate or higher degree.  This is not to over simplify the implicit need to continue to better oneself but the school really does the students a disservice by not detailing a clearer progressive tract for higher education.

Chapter review

I find it as informative to read and decipher the author's bio as it is to digest the article written.  Each individual is presented as generally well versed in their respected areas of expertise.  However, one can't help but wonder as to how the massive collection of academic credentialing in a very specific area of study can lead to so much collective confusion.

As always the case in these matters anytime there is more examining of a problem than there is an actual problem, inevitable chaos must ensue.  I do not state this opinion as a mere negative observation as much as a conclusion in hopes of resolve.  The consensus of those key educators who believe in the promise of technology as a viable means of enhancing the educational experience quite often forget the need to make sure the students engaged in this technological onslaught are inputting quality data.

In short, the old adage of garbage in garbage out is very appropriate.  In each article written it seemed there was far more emphasis placed on the student's interaction of the selected technology (be it technology notes, smart-boards or social media as a means of educational interaction) than the outcome of said interaction.  Although this narrow focus is touched upon briefly by each author, it is not given the necessary attention the oversight deserves. 

Themes from the Text

           Among the content of the readings in chapters 5, 8, &9 in the 21^st Century Skills text I discovered two common themes present throughout.  The themes of both cooperative learning and problem solving dominate the focus of those particular chapters and emphasize the need to move our educative efforts in schools in those directions.  As we move further toward global interdependence, the need for the development of both of these concepts in today’s students becomes crucial. 

            Because of the need to be able to work collaboratively with diverse populations, the development of interpersonal skills must be fostered in all types of educational activities.  When discussing the concept of interpersonal skills in the 21^st century, the concepts of understanding diversity and appropriate online relationships are absolutely imperative.  The constantly changing world that today’s youth are growing up in, due mainly to rapidly increasing population diversity and technology, demand that students demonstrate the skills for being able to solve problems collaboratively through a variety of forms of interpersonal communication, including online.  As the ways in which people can communicate due to technology change, so must the skills of today’s students to keep up.  It isn’t good enough that they just grow up surrounded by technology, they need to learn how to continue to grow with it and use it to develop their own communication skills appropriately.  

            The theme of problem solving becomes a vital concept because not only does it help to foster interpersonal communication and collaboration, but as the world continues to develop into one global community, problems develop at an exponential rate.  The future employment opportunities for today’s students are limitless because of the constant growth of technology and the opportunities it brings, but with these opportunities comes a greater demand for skill sets that were not previously required by any other generation.  This also means that each generation of educators must continue to develop the competencies required to teach these skills to each developing generation after it.  This is why cooperative, collaborative, problem based learning styles are highly beneficial for both the students and the educators to engage in.  

 One or more of the unifying themes among chapters 2, 7 and 11, as well as the Afterword by Hargreaves, and how these themes affect education policy and practice.

“We are in the midst of another revolution that at least rivals the Industrial Revolution…this revolution…is significantly changing our society and thus the value of knowledge. What should schools teach in order to prepare our children for the global and digital economy?” (Zhao, 2009, p. 145)

                Educators in the 21^st Century search for answers to the longstanding question: How to prepare students for the future? A Century ago, England’s Herbert Spencer asked the same well-known question, ‘“what knowledge is of most worth’” (Zhao, 2009, p. 145). Today, the debate continues, as educational experts, business leaders and other influential groups attempt to define the most import Skills for the 21^st Century.

                Some of the many unifying themes among the discussions on the necessary skills to prepare students for the future are: What should be the new policies for the demands of the 21^st century? What framework to use and how to implement it? How can schools integrate and innovate using the technology available? (

                Although, research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, over the past twenty years, have significantly expanded our understanding of how people learn, educational practice has not always kept pace with this new knowledge. The creation of a set of beliefs about learning, based on this new research, helps schools and districts guide the development of the curriculum/assessment system and inform instructional practice and the selection of learning resources. As a means of better aligning theory and practice, schools and districts should develop or adopt a set of learning beliefs based on research and best practices. Once in place, these beliefs provide a conceptual foundation for all school reform initiatives.

                Jay McTighe and Elliott Seif (2010), suggest one possible framework to be adopted in a 21^st century world, and eventually lead to significant changes in curriculum, assessment and instructional practices needed to accommodate 21^st century outcomes. Using ten statements about learning, they open the discussion to a better and more purposeful educational practice.

               

                In conclusion, we all know that something has to be done. We are still unclear on how, what, for what direction, when, and who should be in charge of these changes. “Learning is purposeful and contextual.” Therefore, students should be helped to see the purpose in what they are asked to learn.  One thing we know for sure, “How we teach must reflect how our students learn. It must also reflect the world our students will move into. This is a world which is rapidly changing, connected, adapting and evolving” (Susan Bainbridge, 2011).

Cashman - Theme Response

Change. Education needs to change, students need to change, and schools need to change. We, as educators, have heard all of this before. The parents, politicians, and media outlets of the country have found new and interesting ways of displaying their perceivable dissatisfaction with the country's education system. This blogger hopes to temper the emotions of those who tear down education rather than build it up, and offer a new word to be thrown into the lexicon of educational criticism: adaptation.

Adaptation is a unifying theme that permeates the 21st Century Skills text. The authors, regardless of the chapter, have voiced a unified opinion that education needs to adapt, not totally change, to the challenges it currently faces. How do schools meet that challenge? Chapters 2,7,and 11 off three different plans with comparable methods.

Ms. Darling-Hammond offers a suggestions that denotes a gap between what students know and what they need to know. The core of the chapter deals with thinking skills and how students need to develop a greater strength regarding cognitive thinking: students have to work at figuring things out. In preparing this century's students educators are tasked with preparing them for an economy full of jobs that are yet to exist. How? Darling-Hammond asserts the notion that a sense of continuity need be adapted by schools systems; basically, chose a path and stick with it. The American educational system lacks continuity.

Along with a sense of direction there must come a map to follow. The so called "map" mentioned in Chapter 7 deals with a theme of guidance that America needs. The system needs a curriculum and assessment system that truly challenges a student's preparedness and knowledge. The context of a student's learning needs to be practical and applicable to the workplace thus resulting in a more prepared individual ready to enter the workforce.

The American educational system needs a rudder; like a ship on an ocean, one can't function without one. The unifying themes that permeate the text is that student preparedness needs to increase and a rate that is consummate with an ever-changing global economy.

Blogging Assignment for November 13th

At this point in the course, you have read several chapters of the Bellanca and Brandt book for the class, as well as the chapter you are reading for your presentation. Each chapter in the book is a distinct article written by a different author or authors on a particular aspect of technology and its effect on 21st century education. At the same time, I have organized  the weekly reading assignments  according to unifying themes among the chapters. Among the chapters you have read are 2, 7 and 11, as well as the Afterword by Hargreaves.  Taking all these chapters into consideration, please blog on one or more of the unifying themes  in these chapters, and how you see those themes affecting education policy and practice. Please contact me if you have any difficulty posting. I look forward to your posts.

ITSE Response

“Children and young people are growing up in a vastly changing context. No aspect of their lives is untouched by the digital era which is transforming how they live, relate and learn” (Craft, A., 2012). Technology “has forever changed not only what we need to learn, but the way we learn” (http://www.iste.org/standards). Technology has been redefining education.

Learning has a different successful receipt for each one of our students. Learning in the school environment requires students to pay attention, to notice, to remember, to apprehend, to set goals and to accept responsibility for their own learning. These activities are not possible without the dynamic involvement and commitment of the learner. Teachers must help students to become active and goal-oriented by building on their usual desire to explore, to understand new things and to master them. Technology is helping teachers to expend beyond linear, text-based learning and to engage students who learn best in other ways.

Student motivation, wide participation, improved student writing, content made easier to learn, and differentiated instructions are some of the benefits when teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. As more teachers integrate technologies into the learning/teaching process, programs are evolving to turn teachers/students educational technology experts. 

The questions out there are: what is the bad side on using technology in classrooms? How to use it? Which ones should be used? Which ones are the best ones? What are the rules, when using technology in school? Is there anything we should learn before starting to use a new technology?

The International Society for Technological Education (ISTE) “is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving learning and teaching by advancing the effective use of technology in PK–12 and teacher education. ISTE represents more than 100,000 education leaders and emerging leaders throughout the world and informs its members regarding educational issues of national and global scope” (http://www.iste.org/about-iste).

As a non-profit organization this web based resource has helped educators to understand the new technologies that can be used to improved the learning experience of their students. Not only that, but also keep teachers informed of how to use, when to use, what to use for, what are the regulations when using technology, the best way of using each tool, and so much more. 

Finally, it is crucial for each teacher to get engaged in this process of change. More importantly it is great that educators can count with a reliable resource such as ITSE, with so many great materials, to help us to understand and become proficient in the best way of using technology in our classrooms.