Module 3 Unit 2 Activity 3
Group:
Christopher
Shears
Analia
Kim
Dan
Genereaux
Chad
Boudreau
Question: How can technology help students
improve 21st century skills efficiently?
Communication
If there is an area that technology has the
greatest potential to help improve students 21st century skills then I believe
it would be communication. There are a myriad of technologies available for
students to use. Smartphones have changed the way we communicate dramatically,
we as teachers can learn to accept this fact and use it to our advantage or we
can fight it and lose the attention of our students. I for one, plan on using
these technologies to my advantage to help improve the abilities of my students.
In my own life, I use the internet, communication applications like KakaoTalk
and social networking resources like Facebook to help me further my education.
It would be hypocritical of me to not allow my students the same privileges
that I use daily to advance my learning.
Being able to use modern communication devices
will be a vital skill for students to learn and teachers can help their
students acquire this skills by creating student-centered projects in their
classrooms. Challenge student to use the skills they already have and apply
those skills to achieve a goal. Show them that that these technologies can be
used to advance their learning and connect them to people who can assist them
in their daily lives. One way to allow students to participate in an authentic
communication project is to get them to create a blog. Explain to them that
their blog gives them an opportunity to communicate to the world. Allow them to
explore the various types of blogs available. They can blog about their
personal lives, create a blog to talk about an aspect of pop culture, write an
advice column, or become a music or movie critic; the choices are endless.
Setting up blogs do not require a lot of prior knowledge of technology,
students from all kinds of backgrounds can be easily introduced to the
technology and with very little effort can become proficient bloggers. Choosing
uncomplicated technology is an effective and free way to increase the knowledge
of technology of your students. (Blogger/ Wordpress)
Our world is connected now more than any other
time in history. Students have an opportunity to be able to reach out to other
cultures to learn and collaborate. Language barriers can be bridged with the
use of a variety of technologies. Translation software gives us the ability to
be able to communicate with a broad spectrum of people. Where we were once only
able to experience other cultures by travelling, technologies like pictured
above allow students to reach out to the world inexpensively and efficiently.
Featured in the video I provided below are two classes, one in Italy and one in
Poland sharing a recipe. They are also sharing their culture, practicing a
foreign language as they are communicating in English and crossing cultural
barriers. These are invaluable skills these children will need if they hope to
be productive members of society in the future and be competitive in the job
market.
One of the biggest reasons why prejudices and
bigotry exist is a lack of communication between people, through wonderful
activities like in the link, students are leaving those prejudices behind and
broadening their horizons. We don’t always have to use the most complicated
technologies to allow our students to communicate; the video conference is
another perfect example where students can use the technology with very little
knowledge of how it works. As a teacher you could choose simple communication
devices that require very little explanation, demonstration and financial
resources. Free video conferencing software like Skype, Adobe Connect and Facebook Video Chat, are easy ways that we can overcome digital
divides.
Communication is an extremely important 21st
century skill that my students will need to excel in any field they chose to
enter in the future. It is difficult for us as teachers to predict what jobs
students will choose when they graduate and it is more than likely they will be
doing a job that hasn’t even been invented yet, but we can give them a solid
foundation of skills that will prepare them for whatever the future might
bring.
Collaboration
According to The Partnership for 21st Century
Skills collaboration means:
- To show the ability to work successfully and
respectfully with different groups
- To implement adaptability and to be open minded and
helpful in making required compromises to achieve a mutual objective
- To share duties for collaborative efforts and value the
individual contributions made by each group member (2009).
Collaboration is essentially the practice of
being respectful, adaptable, and putting in effort when working with other
people to accomplish a common objective.
It has been a big influence in the way I teach,
gathering information from fellow experienced teachers, or others with great
ideas. I also help new teachers and we share ideas so they can transition into
the work environment a lot easier. I collaborate with my colleagues every week
and a lot of different research suggests that it is one of the best ways for
educators to get better at teaching their students especially when they are
getting information from others who are experienced. Collaboration to me is a
great way of working outside, and also inside any classroom.
In the digital age, collaboration has the
capability to be implemented in a very successful way in the classroom.
Nowadays many students use technology in an intuitive way and us
educators can concentrate and motivate them to learn 21st century skills.
Teachers can prepare their students for the many challenges that they will face
in the future. One such skill that they will need to learn is how to
collaborate, or work together with others.
Educators can help students to prosper by
applying student-centered project-based learning. Teachers can let the
students have a chance to be in control of their own learning and devote
themselves more on their own educational goals by allowing them to work
together on different projects, giving students assistance in both structure
and content.
A major part of having student-centered,
project-based learning is the role that technology has in the students’
education. Students are very interested in technology and using the digital
tools is a successful and effective way to not only increase their interest in
school projects, but also to create great learning results. If the
students take control and ownership of what they are learning, teachers can
assist the different students, within specific problem solving solutions and
other individual endeavors.
When collaborative learning is student-centered,
and inquiry based, it becomes both an active and interactive process.
Digital tools and technology offer resources for the students to research
and investigate their own questions. The use of the technology when
shared with others, makes the activity interactive with the digital tools, and
among each other.
Collaboration is not always an easy process.
Often times it can be quite challenging. However, these difficulties can
help the students to be equipped with skills to face situations outside the
classroom environment and in the real world. There are many group
projects in the workplaces that often cause employees to have problems.
If these students get familiar with collaborating when they become
adults, these circumstances may not be a huge challenge to overcome, and
problems could be handled in an effective way.
Problem Solving
Problem solving is basically
what you do when you do not know what to do and problem solving is one of those
skills that all teachers want their students to develop. Everyone experiences problems from time to time.
Some problems are complicated while many others are easily solved. For every
task or work we perform, there are many challenges and issues that make it
difficult to complete. Twenty-first century education involves teaching
approaches that help students become capable to solve problems that arise in
their education, job and life. One of these teaching approaches is learning by
doing.
Many digital learners will look at new
technology and start experimenting right away. This is because they have
developed a mindset of learning by doing. They are not afraid of making
mistakes because they learn more quickly that way. They use technology
experientially, and have no issues getting help online to solve problems. Many
students have access to technology and most of them know how connect and
collaborate with others through social media and explore and exchange knowledge
about any device or concept. Thus, having access to technology allows students
to efficiently solve problems.
However, this access to technology can cause
problems as well because some students are not being selective in the
technologies they use. Many students do not think critically about the sources
they select from online sites. Despite being technology literate many students
still need to know how to determine a sources credibility, how to question the
validity of blogs versus articles citing expert opinion, and how to find
answers that are not already provided for them in some way. The need and
ability of students to critically think about the technology they use on a
daily basis is increasingly necessary. Many students just follow what they have
learned from teachers, books, or digital sources, but few students question the
source. I believe that teachers should encourage students to communicate (ask
questions and clarify the answers) because this is one of the best way to
improve their problem solving skills.
Students need to know how to work together to
discuss and solve problems. When students try to solve problems in isolation
they often hit roadblocks that keep them from using their creative and critical
thinking skills efficiently. Students need to be able to communicate how they
understand problems, as well as how they are going about solving them. Collaborative, communicative groups promote
problem solving abilities because students learn to adopt different strategies
after solving problems together.
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