The site looks like it has a definite agenda of providing a world class education for all students. Only a few states seem to be represented and they are actively pursuing membership. There is also an online store for educational resources. Everything appears legit to me and I do not see anything wrong with what they are trying to do. I think this site is trying to challenge the educational system that we have and will challenge educators to step up to the plate and deliver the education our kids deserve.
The 21 century skills set needed for all students in this organizations opinion mirrors the views of Dr. David Thornburg and are as follows.
1. Information and communication skills (information and media literacy skills; communication skills)
2.Thinking and problem-solving (critical thinking and systems thinking; problem identification, formulation and solution; creativity and intellectual curiosity)
3. Interpersonal and self-direction skills (interpersonal and collaborative skills; self-direction; accountability and adaptability; social responsibility)
4. Global awareness
5. Financial, economic and business literacy, and developing entrepreneurial skills to enhance workplace productivity and career options
6. Civic literacy
The founding companies that helped start this entity along with the Department of Education are impressive and include:
AOL Time Warner Foundation
Apple Computer, Inc.
Cable in the Classroom
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Dell Computer Corporation
Microsoft Corporation
National Education Association
SAP
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I agree with you. After looking at the website it is a legitament site. There is a lot of good information on the site. I also noticed that there were only a few states mention. I thought their would be more states mention on the website. I think challenging educators and policy makers will help make our students education better as well.
ReplyDeleteI too thought that the site was good, but did you not find it interesting that this partnership had been in existence since 2002, and only ten states were included? We, as a country, cannot sit by and wait for technology to get into the schools while the rest of the world passes us by.
ReplyDeleteKim,
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point and after second thought, you are exaclty right! It appears like the business world is trying to steer education in the right direction but for whatever reason, education is not listening. Or is it they are not acting fast enough? Our leaders have got to be proactive in making sure teachers have necessary resources for giving a quality education.
I also noticed that there were not many states involved with this partnership. I cannot understand why. This seems like a legitimate organization that is commited to making our students the best they can be. So I have two lingering questions...(1) Why am I just hearing about this now? and (2) Why wouldn't other states want to get involved?
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that everything looks great and should be a huge help to every state that uses the site. I think you are right in your assessment that the business community is getting involved to try and motivate where and what we are doing in education which can only help schools, but I do wonder why there is only ten states involved after being around for so long. Like I said, everything looks legitimate to me and I’ll be tracking it now, but I would love to hear reasons for not using this from state leaders if they have any. My guess, many might not even know that it exists. I think the fact that so many of us are just finding this organization and their mission can only help their cause.