21st Century Skills

Twenty First Century Skills: Information, Media and Technology Skills

So what exactly are 21st Century Skills  and why do they pertain to all classroom teachers?  

21st Century Skills  are a group of skills students need to master to be successful in the work-place.  They include learning skills, technology skills, and career skills.  They are endorsed by many private corporations as well as educational leaders in 19 states.  (Framework, 2014)

The primary goal for any teachers is to prepare their students for future success.  Integrating these skills into the classroom environment can help teachers to realize that goal.

To view the members of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, click the link below.

http://www.p21.org/members-states/member-organizations

To fully embrace technology integration , teachers require knowledge about why students need to master technology. Hopefully, after finishing this book, you will have a clear picture as to why technology is important in the modern classroom.  

Though there are several different subsets of 21st Century skills, this book will examine information, media and technology skills listed in the framework.  

If you would like to see a list of all the 21st Century Skills, click the link below.

http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf

Information Literacy  Skills

According to Wesleyan University, information literacy "involves recognizing when information is needed and being able to efficiently locate, accurately evaluate, effectively use, and clearly communicate information in various formats." (Association, 2014)

Students successfully implementing information literacy skills should demonstrate proficiency  in;

• locating and retreiving information efficiently and successfully
• appraising the value of information
• applying information correctly and resourcefully to the current situation
• understanding the proper legal use of information 

It is not enough for students to randomly find information then restate it in their own words. Students must become savvy users of information.  They must know how to perform various types of searches   and how to cull the information from those searches by analyzing its reliability.  In addition, they must be able to apply that information to the current situation. Finally, students must cite sources  accurately and be familiar with copyright law . (Framework, 2014)

Teachers may incorrectly assume that because students live in a technology rich environment, they have information literacy  skills mastered. Generally speaking, this is not true.  Students may have exposure to search engines  and the like, but have never been intentionally taught information literacy  skills.

These types of skills can be integrated into research projects, project based inquiry  and task based learning , to name a few.  The TRAILS wiki contains many lesson plans and activities for teaching information literacy  skills.  However, these skills should be integrated  naturally within the context of the class, not taught as a separate topic.  

Media Literacy

From the time they are very young, students are bombarded with media images and sound.  Television, radio, newspapers, magazines and the internet flood their senses with information, but how are they to understand the difference between valid and invalid information?  How can they discriminate between messages that are built to manipulate versus ones that are meant to instruct and inform?  That is what strengthening Media Literacy  is all about.  

Students with media literacy skills should understand;

• how media messages are stuctured for specific purposes
• the tools and criterion used to create media messages
• the impact media messages can have on conduct and principles
• the proper legal use of media
• how media is constructed to omit or include varying viewpoints
• how media can be interpreted differently, depending upon the recipient's worldview

(Framework, 2014)

There are many approaches to successfully incorporate media literacy into the classroom.  Using various types of media in the classroom exposes students to the types of media available and models positive uses for it.  Encouraging students to choose from a variety of media formats  to complete projects helps them to understand the tools used in media.  Analyzing controversial topics presented in various media formats can lead to deep discussions on how media influences choices and daily life.  This could be taken a step further by assigning students to create a deliberately biased ad or news feature in the media format of their choice. (Ithaca, 2014) Really the opportunities for expanding media literacy are infinite!

Below are some websites that contain lesson plans and resources for integrating media skills into your classroom.

 http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/

 http://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources

 http://route21.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=28

ICT Literacy

The ability to effectively utilize technology to communicate and access information is a required skill for success in the modern workplace.  As teachers we are continually employing this skill.  We email important contacts, research lesson resources, complete professional training and create, share and store documents and records every day.  Our students should be capable of completing similar tasks using technology.  ICT (Information, communications and technology) Literacy focuses on these skills.  

ICT Literacy skills focus on the efficient and effectual use of technology tools  and include the following;

• using technology tools to find, evaluate and process information
• using technology tools to create and handle information
• using technology tools to communicate 
• using technology tools to organize information

(Framework, 2014)

Though ICT skills focus on the use of technology tools, the use of these tools should not be taught as a separate subject area.  Instead, the tools should be integrated into the course of daily instruction and activities.  For example, students could use database tools to classify and store information about the literary elements of a novel.  They could then share the database and fulfill roles on a project using collaboration skills.  Finally,  they could share their project and evaluate the projects of others using social collaboration tools. The idea is to use technology tools as a means to deepen and extend knowledge. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this book!  I hope you have found it a useful introduction to Information, Media and Technology skills. Hopefully you have found some ideas on enjoying and employing technology in your classroom.   The following page cites all of the resources found in this book.  

Citations

Abilock, D. (2014, January). Information literacy: Building blocks of research: Overview. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/1over/infolit1.html

American Library Association (n.d.). Tutorials: Association of college & research libraries (ACRL). Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://www.ala.org/acrl/issues/infolit/resources/inaction/tutorials

Association of College and Research Libraries' Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (n.d.). Information Literacy Defined, Library - Wesleyan University. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://www.wesleyan.edu/library/infoforyou/infolitdefined.html

Boss, S. (2011, September 12). Twenty ideas for engaging projects. Retrieved April 13, 2013, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-ideas-for-engaging-projects-suzie-boss

Dawson, K. (2006). Teacher inquiry: A vehicle to merge prospective teachers' experience and reflection during curriculum-based, technology enhances field experiences. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(3), 265-292. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.nau.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1d0b78a1-afdd-4fe4-9a27-ec9bb91f9c82%40sessionmgr4004&vid=11&hid=4105

Grieve, W. (n.d.). Learning through ICT resources. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.in2edu.com/

Ithaca College (2014, April). Project look sharp : K-12 & higher ed. media literacy lesson plans. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/

Kempster Group (n.d.). Digital literacy - Resources. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.ictliteracy.info/

Media Literacy Project (n.d.). Intro to media literacy. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://medialiteracyproject.org/sites/default/files/resources/Intro_to_Media_Literacy.pdf

Manitoba Education (n.d.). Literacy with ICT: A model for 21st century learning. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/tech/lict/index.html

Microsoft (2014). Back to school with office clip art and media - Images and more. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/back-to-school-with-office-clip-art-and-media-HA010237914.aspx

Tangient LLC (2014). TRAILS-Information literacy - lesson plans. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://trails-informationliteracy.wikispaces.com/Lesson+Plans

Teaching Ideas (n.d.). Ideas to inspire. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.ideastoinspire.co.uk/#