21st Century Technology

Bob Regan’s “Why We Need to Teach 21^st Century Skills – And How to Do It” reminds me of conversations that I had with many liberal arts admissions officers when I was deciding where I would go for my undergrad. “A little arts education will teach you how to think,” they tell me. “You might not learn how to do a specific task by memory, but you will have the critical thinking skills to figure it out.”

Whereas, when I was growing up, technology meant teaching kids how to type without performing the “hunting-and-peeking” technique, being able to properly shutting down the computer, and troubleshooting by using CRT-ALT-DEL, Regan’s article presents itself as the 3.0 or 4.0 – 21^st century – way of using technology in education. The question of whether a teaching should integrate technology into his/her classroom is out the window; in the 21^st century – you simply HAVE to.

For me, the skills that Partnership for 21^st Century Skills points out parodies what Scott Moran said to us last week about what it means to be a progressive in the world of education in general. Problem solving, critical thinking skills, global awareness, etc. should not be “new” skills created by the boom of technology, but rather skills that have always been important to cultivate - technology is just a rising important means to include.