21 st Century Skills

1. 21st Century Skills Problem Based Learning By: Susan Walker Vikki Ruff Brian Hefner Amy Gregory

2. What are 21st Century Skills?

3. THEN Production occupations: farmers & foresters Manufacturing Construction Mining NOW Computer software engineers Database administrators Service occupations Management, business, and financial occupations 21st Century Skills in the Workplace: Jobs then and now

4. Forces of Change • Technology: communication devices, measuring devices, fiber optics • Capital: investment in information technology, information equipment and software • Immigration: In 1900, 448,572 individuals passed through immigration control, and for the decade as a whole (1900-9) there were 8.2 million. • Education: In 1900, less than 14 percent of all Americans graduated from high school. By 1999, that figure had increased to 83 percent

5. THE HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY IN SOIL TESTING

6. Are Schools implementing to teach 21st Century Skills? • 2 school mentions assessing the infrastructure and staff development needs in the area of technology, but does not address curriculum integration. • 2 schools make no mention of the skills. • On a State level, NC requires an 8th-grade computer proficiency test.

7. Professional Development about 21st Century skills • 129 total Staff Development offerings in a particular LEA (2005-2006) • 12% (15 classes) related directly to the 21st Century Skills • The 15 classes were offered only to selected groups. • Staff Development funds in our schools were allocated to Reading, Writing, and Math training only.

8. Our Conclusion of Analysis • Even though the 21st Century Skills plan was put in place in April 2005, schools have done little to integrate it into current school vision statements or improvement plans. • Technology has taken a back seat to NCLB, AYP, and ABC’s. • Our schools are failing to prepare our students for the Global society in which we live.

9. Our Integration Grade 8 Reading Competency Goal 1 states: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives through analysis of personal, social, cultural and historical issues.

10. Our Integration: Reading Competency Goal 1 • Digital-Age Literacy: Web pen pal groups from other countries. • Inventive Thinking: Small group 21st Century Problem-Based Inquiry Project • Effective Communication: Use technology to present the Inventive Thinking project. • High Productivity: Comprehending instructions and creating a product (i.e. robot) through the use of technology.

11. Our Plan • Set up a Professional Learning Community or PBL in the form of a study group. • Teams will work together for one year on a voyage of discovery into the 21st Century Skills and their integration into the curriculum to better prepare our students for future endeavors. • The small groups will go through a series of monthly professional sessions to incorporate the content into the classroom. • Permanent subs will be hired to allow each team time every month to meet to accomplish the tasks set out in the sessions and to share with colleagues in planning and implementing the goals. • Each group will be designed by the administration based on skill level of the staff in regards to handling and working with technological tools. Each group will consist of members from all levels of competency regarding technology.

12. Phase 1: Introduction

13. Phase 2: Investigation

14. Phase 3:Integration

15. Phase 4: Introspection

16. Turn on your Monitor • Go to this URL www.21stcenturyskills.org • Click on Route 21 • Using your 21st Century skills, learn more about the topic.

17. Resources • www.ncrel.org/engauge • www.ncpublicschools.org • www.21stcenturyskills.org