reflection post

Reflection post
21st Century Skills- Learning for Life in our Times
At first, I was not into reading this book. I am not sure if I ever got into the mode of wanting to. I am not tuned into technology and not very willing to open up to it. As I read this book, I felt that we are trying to push technology on to our students and that technology was the only way to teach certain skills to our students. Students in the past have learned just fine without technology. So whatever happened to “real” teaching?
Can teachers teach skills without the use of technology? They can because it has been done for many years. The skills have changed but not to where the teachers cannot teach them without the use of technology. The skills focuses on in this book are, learning and innovation skills: critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation; career and life skills: flexibility, adaptability, initiative, self-direction, productivity, accountability, leadership, responsibility, and cross-cultural interaction; Digital literacy skills: information literacy, media literacy, and Information and communication technologies. These skills can be taught through “real” teaching. So why must we use technology?
I understand that technology is here and it is an access to learning but I do not feel that it should be the only way to teach. Technology is here to stay and it will change our lives but I do not see why we must turn over our teaching to it. As a kindergarten teacher, I find it hard to incorporate technology into my classroom. The children are not independent or do they have the basic skills to run the technology. I feel that I can teach the same skills of critical thinking, problem solving, communication, creativity, leadership, accountability and more, in my classroom to my kindergarteners without technology. I do see where technology can be incorporated to teach certain skills. The teacher is the leader and could use the tools of technology to teacher her students.