Week 2-Blog Posting #4-21st Century Skills & Lifelong Learning

Liz Dalton

Full Sail University

For the last 11 years I have taught a class called Career and Technical Education Introduction. It is a required class of all 7th graders in Utah. Our goal is to help students prepare for their adult life by introducing and giving them hands on experiences to prepare them for the world of work and adult life.

One of the concepts from the curriculum is: "Identify and practice the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span, including recognizing that completion of high school with essential academic and CTE coursework provides a wide range of substantial post-secondary and career options" (UEN 2009). I have been teaching students to be life-long learners and to learn something new every day. I am such a strong supporter of being a life longer learner which is part of the reason I wanted to get my master's degree. I wanted to a model of lifelong learning not only for my students but for my own children. My daughter received her master's degree 2 years ago and I would like my 2 other sons to do the same. I feel like I couldn't encourage my son's to addend graduate school unless I had set the example.

I totally agree with Jeffrey Gitomer (Youtube video file 2008) that everyone should spend 30 minutes per day learning something new. Especially with how easy it is to learn with 21st century learning. We can search on a search engine for answers. Blog or social network and learn from each other. We can collaborate with others to do a project that is better than anyone could do themselves. And we can do all this sitting in the comfort of our home or wherever we want and whatever time we want. It allows the learner to explore and learn just what the learner wants to learn. Learning and doing together is power (Reingold 2009). John Field (2006) says, " to cope with rapid change and the challenge of the information and communication age, we must ensure that people return to learning throughout their lives. We cannot rely on a small elite, no matter how highly educated or paid. Instead we need the creativity, enterprise and scholarship of all people. As well as securing our economic future, learning has a wider contribution. It helps makes ours a civilized society, develops the spiritual side of our lives, and promotes active citizenship. Learning enables people to play a full part in our community. It strengthens the family, the nation and consequently the nation. It helps us to fulfill our potential and opens the door to a love of music, art, and literature. I think it is so important that we are productive citizens. We feel good about ourselves when we contribute and are projective. Each person in this world has something different and special to contribute and then we learn from each other. I will continue to be committed to teaching livelong learning in and out of my classroom, especially by example.

References

BuyGitomer (2008). Life Long Learning (Video File). Video posted to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6yd6wfCgU

Field, J. (2006). Lifelong Learning And The New Educational Order. Trentham Books

Limited, Oakhill, Va. Retrieved September 14, 2009 from http://books.google.com

/books?hl=en&lr=&id+lXLSgYUzwoAc&oi=fnd&pg=PP8&dq=lifelong+learning

&ots=mlFCVAG6tRy&sig=EHZNcB5jw78xScmpslBUht2ljE#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Rheingold, H. (2009 July) 21st Century Literacies (Video File). Video posted to

http://HowardRheingold.blip.tv/

Utah Education Network (2009). Career and Technical Education Introduction. Retrieved

September 14, 2009 from http://www.uen.org/ctecore/core.do?

courseNum=130001