Chris Betcher wrote;
"There always seems to be a lot of talk about the need for more teachers to embrace “21st Century skills”. Of course, there’s a lot of discussion about what these “21st Century skills” actually are. Many people have debated and discussed this issue, asking the question of what exactly should today’s learners know in order to function in the “21st Century”.
I’m sure there are a whole lot of really good answers to these questions that dig deeply into effective pedagogy and the deeper philosophy of education. This post is not about those things."
This post stimulated some thinking on my part. I noted that Chris Betcher listed the following:
I can only agree with ONE of Chris' list and that is "learn to search". I have posted on this topic previously in many references to the effective use of the full power of google search.
His decision to include basic photo and video editing, use html editor and learn to think in hyperlinks does not match most skills that I would consider vital for effective teaching and professional learning in this the second decade of the 21st century.
I do not use the term " 21st century skills". That horizon is another 9 decades to live through and to my mind it is impossible to predict skills essential for 2020 living let alone 2090 living.
After effective searching, I would include:
- deep knowledge of effective teaching practice suitable for digital learning
- a willingness to keep on learning professionally through relevant networks
- the capacity to reflect on teaching practice and professional learning through short blog posts, wiki references or ...
- technical knowledge and skills that facilitate online, multimedia student learning
