Chapter 1

 New World, New Web, New Skills

"As educational leaders, we should understand changes in the Web and how they reflect changes in the world around us." 

~Web 2.0, New Tools, New Schools by G. Solomon & L. Schrum (2007)

Solomon and Schrum, authors of New Tools, New Schools, begin their book by encouraging educational technology leaders to identify the need for new and innovative techniques to teach and engage America's students. Friedman (2005, p. 302) cited Binder by stating "In the future, how we educate our children may prove to be more important than how much we educate them" (Solomon & Schrum, 2007). The world's workforce is changing and the skills that employers are seeking are changing. The world's employers are wanting more than workers that can perform form rote memory; there is a need for creative workers with the desire to collaborate with others worldwide to produce the best product(s). Solomon and Schrum (2007) reinforce this opinion with the statement that "education has to include a focus on the skills and abilities that students will need if the next generation is to remain competitive in the changing world." Furthermore, it is stated that "using collaboration and communication tools with educatonal methods that also promote these skills-such as project-based learning- will help students acquire the abilities they need for the future" (Solomon & Schrum, 2007).

Changes must be made here (in America) to ensure that our future generations are competitive citizens in our global workforce. The rest of the world leading in regards to educating their youth. Solomon and Schrum (2007) remind us "if education doesn't help today's (American) students learn the skills they need, major advances will happen elsewhere." This a very heavy statement for me to comprehend because the thought of our children being overlooked for jobs because their skill level and acquired knowledge is not on the same level as their passion or on the same level as their foreign counterpart's level, then we (educators) have not successfully done our jobs.

The job description of today's teacher is changing. A teacher can no longer stand before a class and lecture while expecting the results the administrative teams, the school boards, and other superior teams desire. "The role of the teacher will be to guide students in using the new tools for academically rigorous investigations and presentations" (Solomon & Schrum, 2007). We must demonstrate the level of excellence we expect from our students to ensure that is the same level of excellence we receive in their final products. Louisiana has joined 47 other states to increase the amount of rigor as we prepare our students for success in the real world. The acquired skills and high demands of the Common Core will ensure that our young Americans are prepared to experience success in college and/or the workforce.

For a Multimedia presentation & more information regard the Common Core Standards, visit the link below:

Arkansas Common Core Information

NETS (National Educational Technology Standards) for Teachers

All classroom teachers should be prepared to meet the following standards and performance indicators.

1. Technology Operations & Concepts
Teachers demonstrate a should understand of the technology operations and concepts. Teachers:
  2. demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies

2. Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
  2. apply current current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.

Citations:

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0, new tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: Intl Society for Technology in educ.