Hello again ....this evening I would like to share with you my thoughts and impressions on a new site that my classmates (Walden University) and I have been introduced to. The name of the site is The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.21stcenturyskills.org). It was established in 2002. Its purpose is to introduce 21st Century Skills to K-12 Education in the United States. It will serve as the "Guiding Light" for establishing and building the awareness necessary to develop collaborative partnerships between the key stake holders in our society: education, business, community and government leaders.
My initial response after spending one hour exploring the site is "it's going to be an exceptional resource"! One glance at the site's partnership list provides plenty of insight as to how serious an effort is behind this initiative with names like Microsoft, Dell, National Education Association and Cisco to name a few. In short the Partnership advocates for 21st Century readiness by combining the 3-R's with critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity/innovation.
Some of the resources available on the site are individual state implementation guides, a network of professional development experts referred to as "PDAP", the "Mile Guide" (Milestones for Innovative Learning and Education) and my favorite "Route 21" a (one-stop-shop for 21st Century-skill related information. The real surprise for me is that not only do they tell what needs to be done ....but they also provide the resources needed to achieve the outcomes. All you have to do is "work at it"!
The implications for my students and for me as a contemporary educator are the 21st Century is well underway and its time for everyone, myself included, in (K-12) education across the United States to get on board. This resource leaves no excuses not to!