Sunday, February 1st, 2009...5:56 pm
21st Century Skills = People skills
In the last couple weeks, I have read and watched commentary, news articles, research papers and videos touting “21st century skills” as the future of education and the future of the workplace. I am formulating a view that “21st century skills” is nothing more than a catch phrase. You know what 21st century skills sounds like to me? People skills with, not in place of, computer skills.
Employers want employees with the 21st century skill of knowing how to research, gather, and decipher the reams of relevant information that is posted on the Internet. Technology is changing everyday and individuals will post 12,000 gigabytes of information this year on the Web, cultural anthropologist Michael Wesch said in his June 17 podcast at Manitoba University.
After you correlate all this information, what do you have to do? You have to tell someone about it and as Wesch says “create something out of it.”
The “ability to communicate new ideas to others” is the number 1 job skill employers want, according to a “Ready to Innovate“ survey published in The Christian Science Monitor.
Communication is all about people skills, whether you are talking face-to-face, on the phone, e-mail or Webcasts. You have to communicate maturely, wisely and quickly. You need to sell yourself to sell your ideas to stand out in a crowd. As the cliche states, time is money. Time and money are now global commodities.
For students to become successful adults, teachers need to teach students proper and strong communication skills. We need to teach them how to give an oral presentation, highlighted and punctuated by technology. We need to teach them that in the classroom and the office you do not write in all lowercase or in “new literacy” acronyms because the boss, especially if he or she is in India or China, will lol at their childish antics, ignore their ideas and then fire them.
The same job survey lists “tolerance of ambiguity” as another important job skill. In plain English, that means the ability to listen and to work with others. The classroom is an ideal place to hone students’ listening and communication skills. The classroom remains an American melting pot. If students cannot learn to get along in the classroom, how can they compete with their peers who are now a mouse click instead of a flight away? The classroom must be a place where students learn the value of communication, the strength of individuality and the tolerance of diversity. If we can teach students those three steps we will be communicating a strong foundation for their success in the 21st century.
So until those skills are ingrained in students, I believe that “new media literacies” is a lot of hot, pompous air. The Internet, for all its wonderful capabilities, still remains an addictive place filled with a lot of busted dreams, dashed hopes, and wasted time. The ability to type simple, benign personal comments into facebook does not mean you are changing the world for the better.
With proper leadership, teachers can show students how classroom computers and Internet access can help foster their creative learning and boost their communication skills in a Web 2.0 world where people skills matter.
4 Comments
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:39 am
I think I understand your frustration. I do not think, however that old fashion teaching is the key to tomorrows jobs. The computer had given us an easy way to do research and cut corners. The courts are beginning to get with the computer age. In New York I learned how to file court documents electronically. Attorneys give you an access code and a document can get scanned straight to the Judges clerk. I didn’t even have to get on the subway to file it personally or at twelve midnight which I previously had to do before the system existed. The future is going to be about technology. Meetings are going to be held via teleconference in our own bathrobes. It may very well be that the office itself is obsolete. Doctors, lawyers and other business people are using transcribers that work from home to write letters etc. Don’t knock it Steve, you may be able to teach from home one day while you take breaks playing with your children. Wouldn’t that be the life? If anything I think that the classroom will be obsolete, teaching will be done electronically in the future. Maybe not in our lifetime…but some time.
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:21 pm
I find my self in similar thought as you are expressing here in this blog. While watching the you tube video you posted “New Media Literacy” all I could think was, “wait, what does that mean.” Since I would consider myself a relatively successful student and citizen, I was concerned that I may not possess these qualities that we are so concerned with in the 21st century. However after some reflection, and reading your blog it is plain and simple communication skills. Lets not make this all a bigger issue than it is!
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Test…does this work
February 4th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Thought provoking. You do a good job on pushing against the ideas! I agree that the “21st century skills” phrase (and others) are over-used. They remind me almost of a brand. What I think is important is take those “skills” and think about how they are now different by the mere fact we live in a technology-rich world. Take communication for instance. Do we require new skills to be able to communicate with other people in other cultures or using new tools? I would tend to say yes.
“The Internet, for all its wonderful capabilities, still remains an addictive place filled with a lot of busted dreams, dashed hopes, and wasted time.” I believe it’s how we teach people how to use it. I can use a knife to create a work of art or do evil. Likewise, the internet can be a powerful tool of communication or one that allows me to bully someone. In addition to teaching the tools, we need to teach the ethics behind them. Finally, I think the dashed hopes and wasted time are not so bad, as long as we learn from them. Fullan says, “Hyperbole aside, the point is to not fail stupidly (you are not allowed to keep making the same mistake) but to fail intelligently (forgive and remember). The latter is very mcuh linked to sustainability.” (p. 23…”Leadership & Sustainability)
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