21 st Century Skills The Six Fluencies

1. 21st Century SkillsThe Six Fluencies *Solution Fluency *Information Fluency *Collaboration Fluency *Creativity Fluency *Media Fluency *Digital Citizen By Tricia CherekEDT 652

2. Solution Fluency • Key concepts: • Whole-brain thinking • Creativity • Problem-solving • “Solution fluency is the ability to think creatively to solve problems in real time by clearly defining the problem, designing an appropriate solution, applying the solution, and then evaluating the process and the outcome.” (Jukes, McCain, and Crockett, 2010)

3. Solution Fluency • Science Lesson: Simple Machines • Students are presented with a problem: How do I get a roll of masking tape from the floor to the top of the table without using my hands? • Students are given a variety of material to work with like string, rulers, paper clips, paper, etc. • Students must use the materials given to create a simple machine to solve the problem. They can use their hands to work the machine, but their hands may not touch the tape. • Students then document, draw a diagram, and write an explanation of their solution.

4. Information Fluency • Key Concepts: • *Access digital information to get information • *Assess the information that was gathered • “What is really needed is the ability to find significant information. To be able to assess the significance of information, a person must be able to perceive trends in the digital infoscape. They must be able to discover bias in the information they retrieve. They must be able to assess the accuracy of data they uncover in their searching, including assessing the methodology of how data was gathered, and determine if there are other sources that verify and support the specific information they find.” (Jukes, McCain, and Crockett, 2010)

5. Information Fluency • Science Lesson: Ecosystems • Students will be given and ecosystem to research. They are given specific guidelines and questions on a sheet and must use search engines to find the information. • Students go through the information and decide what is important and factual to answer the given questions. This information will then be used to create a presentation.

6. Collaboration Fluency • Key Concepts: • *Team-working • *Work cooperatively with real and virtual partners • *Virtual Interaction • “Collaboration fluency is teamworking proficiency that has reached the unconscious ability to work cooperatively with virtual and real partners in an online environment to create original digital products.” (Jukes, McCain, and Crockett, 2010)

7. Collaboration Fluency • Writing Lesson: The Naked Turkey • Students are given an outline of a turkey. They take the outline home and camouflage the turkey so it won’t be caught and cooked for Thanksgiving dinner. • Students then bring their turkey back to school and write a descriptive paragraph of their turkey and how it is camouflaged. • Students then collaborate and share their projects with a class in another state via polycom.

8. Creativity Fluency • Key Concepts: • *Using art to enhance work • *Creative thinking to come up with creative solutions • “There is tremendous value in the artistic creation of items in order that they may transcend mere functionality.” (Jukes, McCain, and Crockett, 2010)

9. Creativity Fluency • Literacy Lesson: Create a Comprehension Game • Students are assigned to create a game that tests the comprehension of a book they read in guided reading groups or their book discussion books. • Students are provided with guidelines and materials from Bare Books to create their games. They receive a blank game board, dice, spinners, blank cards, pieces, and anything else they need to create their game. • After their game has been created, they share and play their game with their peers.

10. Media Fluency • Key Concepts: • *Interpret communication media • *Create and publish original digital products • “The digital world has made powerful tools available to virtually everyone, fostering an explosion in communication by ordinary individuals, and in this interactive visual world, our children must be able to create and publish original digital products with which they can communicate just as effectively as they can with text.” (Jukes, McCain, and Crockett, 2010)

11. Media Fluency • Science Lesson: Ecosystems (Continued) • Students take the information previously gathered during their research to create a PowerPoint presentation that includes text, pictures, and transitions. • Students prepare an oral presentation of their project to be presented to the class. • Examples: \..\..\Documents\Tropical Forests.ppt • ..\..\Documents\Coniferous Forest.pptx • ..\..\Documents\Grasslands.ppt

12. Digital Citizen • Key Concepts: • *Leadership • *Ethics • *Accountability • *Fiscal responsibility • *Environmental awareness • *Global citizenship • *Personal Responsibility

13. Digital Citizen • Technology Lesson: Internet Safety • Students learn and practice different internet searching techniques, websites they can play on, and social networking sites. • Students are taught internet safety concepts based on their grade level and age. This lesson is team taught by grade level teams, the guidance counselor, and sometimes the librarian. • At the end, students are asked to sign a pledge stating they will be safe of the internet at all times. This pledge is kept and school and a copy is sent home to parents along with information that they can use to talk to their child about internet safety.

14. Conclusion • “Technology isn’t the problem anymore, so the 21st-century fluencies are not about technology, but what to do with it. They are process skills and critical thinking skills, and they’re indicative of the kind of skills that everyone will need in the digital age.” • (Jukes, McCain, and Crockett, 2010)

15. Bibliography • Crockett, L., Jukes, I., & McCain, T. (2010) Understanding the Digital Generation: Teaching and Learning in the New Digital Landscape. Kelowna, BC: 21st Century Fluency Project Inc. • Gurr, Tony. All Things Learning. Retrieved March 29, 2012 from http://allthingslearning.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/getting-fluent-with-the-5-fluencies%E2%80%A6/