21st Century Skills

After seeing the website for 21st Century Learning I felt relieved that a large organization with considerable financial backing is helping to guide schools to better align their goals and curriculum with the 21st Century business environment. I have heard of the organization before, but it still seems like the message has not been fully implemented. Most schools in my area are still more concerned about standardized test scores, AP tests, scholarships and national rankings than preparing their students for the modern workplace. Tests are geared toward core subjects, and the most gifted students are pushed by counselors to take AP courses, which are mainly offered for core classes like language arts, math, social studies, and science.
The surprising truth is that while these subjects are important, the interdisciplinary themes mentioned in the Framework for 21st Century Learning are more important. If a student has memorized facts about the Sherman and Clayton Acts to pass an exam but cannot apply the principles to current business situations then what is the point? If a student has the ability to solve complex mathematical equations but does not understand the time value of money then how valuable are their skills?
One skill the site did not mention was an understanding of how technology works. There is no reason why our students should not know how a computer works and how the internet works as well. This knowledge would apply to all fields of work, because nearly every business uses a computer, and knowing how it works can prevent a lot of problems and increase efficiency.
The implication for my students is that they are expected to know more and be able to apply more than their predecessors. This should be expected, because their resources are far more vast than students before them. The implication for teachers is that they are expected to answer the age-old question “Why do we need to know this?”; teachers need to be able to apply their discipline to the 21sy century workplace their students will eventually enter.

Reflection

During my last graduate course I realized that I need to expand my experience with technology and teach more of the skills I have to my students. If I can show my talents and technological knowledge to my students during my instruction it gives me credibility and sometimes impresses my students, so that is great. However, if I can show my students how to do these things themselves and make them stick, that is a better application of technology. Even if I am teaching a student to use editing software that I know will never be a video editor, the fact that that student is learning how to use something besides a web browser can help them immensely. In the past I have showed students how to accomplish a task or I have even done it for them, but I never made them repeat the task while explaining the details so they understood why it worked the way it did. For example, whenever I had students want to utilize the green screen in their videos I would help them set up the shot and then quickly walk them through the chromakey effect. In the interest of time I would never explain exactly how the chromakey works and the concepts behind it, I would just show them how to do it and move on.
Instead of teaching students how to do certain tasks, I need to be focused on teaching them concepts. Instead of using technological tools to help myself accomplish tasks and become organized, I need to show my students how I use the tools and demonstrate how the tools can help them as well. I am not sure that the increased use of technology will cause me to delay my retirement like the teachers Dr. Thornburg mentions in his video, but I know it will help my students get interested in my course.
I will continue to expand my experiences with technology by trying new programs, exploring new websites, and bringing those experiences to the classroom. While I have some newer equipment, much of my video gear is outdated and students have a lot of trouble using it. They are discouraged by the quality of the equipment and it has a negative effect on the quality of videos they produce. I also do not have a way for the classes to see each others work because of a lack of server space and blocks on streaming media sites, so students cannot evaluate the work of their peers. Sometimes I am limited to access to technological tools by a lack of funding or district firewalls, but in the next two years I can overcome some of these obstacles. Through sales of DVDs, and possibly donations and grants, I can purchase some of the technology I would like for my students to have experience with. I am due for a technology refresh in the spring, so the money I have been spending to catch up can now be spent to get ahead to the bleeding edge of technology again.
Once I have the technology to create better quality videos and make them accessible at school as “social media” I can inspire my students to create works they can be proud of.

Podcast

I have been using technology on a daily basis since I was in elementary school. As a 1982 baby that was raised by parents who understood the importance of exposure to technology, I would be considered a Digital Native by experts like Prenksky, Thornburg, and Davidson. I have used the internet, cell phones, television, online communities and other forms of technology to learn about subjects as long as I can remember like the modern learner that Dr. Dede describes. I have been known about podcasts for at least seven years. I even helped design internet pages for mobile devices. I am an early adopter of technologies and a lot more technologically inclined than most of my students, but you may be surprised on how I use technology throughout my day and how I feel about things like multi-tasking and academic usage of technology.

Utilizing Blogs in the Video Classroom

One idea for high school video classes is to utilize blogs for story development. When students write their scripts for videos in my class they usually do it in a group and turn in a copy to me before production. I usually have students email their scripts so that I can keep them organized and have a timestamp on it to make sure it was done on time. I think blogging could be used here because the students could write a script online, work on it on any computer connected to the internet, and have other students comment on their work.

Blogging would probably make the plots better because all the students will be looking at the story and can make suggestions to make it more enjoyable. Once the students make a couple of video projects, pre-production is the part they pay the least amount of attention to, so making their pre-production a public affair could help them focus.

Ideas Wanted

I created this blog as a place to gather ideas, resources, and helpful links for teaching video or film.