Understanding the Importance of 21st century skills

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills states in their mission statement that, “there is a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces.”  It is critical that students learn how to use technology’s tools to strengthen their digital literacy skills. The list of digital tools is never ending. New releases make something that was new yesterday old today. Educators as well as students must thoughtfully determine which tools are essential to their digital literacy tool kit. Tool kits vary from one educator to another as they do from one student to another. Once you have mastered a particular tool, move on to another so you can increase your digital power (US Digital Literacy, 2014).

Use the following support links to begin your research on the importance of 21st Century readiness for our students:

• Partnership for 21st Century Skills
• “How Do We Prepare Students For Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet?” by Jeff Dunn @ Edudemic.com
• Tony Wagner’s Seven Survival Skills
• TED Talks: Tony Wagner, Sir Ken Robinson, Sugata Mitra, Eduardo Briceno

PARENTing RESOURCES

Common Sense is dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology.  They empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all students’ lives.

Common Sense Media (Español) “We rate, educate, and advocate for kids, families, and schools”

• Parent Guide: How Parents Can Help Kids Learn at Home
• Parent Guide: How to Choose Educational Apps, Games, and Websites
• Parent Concern Supports: Age-Appropriate Guidelines and Resources for Families
• Online Safety: Everything You Need to Know About Parental Controls

• Google Apps Enable Offline Mode: Access Your Files Offline
• Discounted Home Internet: Internet Essentials from Comcast (Español)
• Free Home Internet Security: CISCO OpenDNS
• How to Set Up a Parent Email Account: Gmail Directions

Parent & Guardian Technology Support Night Presentations

• Accessing Your Child’s Google Account (Español)
• Recommended Sites for Students
• Student Online Safety
• 21st Century Parenting

CREATE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT & MASTERING GOOGLE BASICS

Students and staff have Google accounts that are used to access information, create documents,collaborate on presentations and communicate their learning to others.  Parents and guardians can create a free Google account and also learn how to use these powerful 21st century tools.  Learn how to use Google applications such as Mail, Calendar, Documents, Drive and other Google Apps that are used in CCSD59 with the Google Apps Self-Assessment Survey and the Google Apps Learning Center.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

COPPA, effective April 21, 2000, applies to the online collection of personal information from children under 13.  App manufactures and developers must include in a privacy policy, seek verifiable consent from a parent, and take responsibility as an operator to protect children’s privacy and safety online.  A current trend for many apps and web service providers is to require users to be over the age of 13 to avoid COPPA requirements, even though their service may be safe and appropriate for children. Fortunately, families and teachers can still safely use some of the features of many innovative learning tools while complying with COPPA by following some of these steps:

1. Check the apps’ terms of service to see if users need to be over 13 years old.

2. If users need to be over 13, see if some features can be used without creating student user accounts.
(For example, students can participate in Kahoot games without accounts if data collection isn’t needed.)

3. If accounts are required, the adult can create an account to facilitate student learning through them.
(For example, a teacher can create a class Twitter account to tweet about what the class is learning.)

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

CIPA, enacted by Congress in 2000, addresses concerns about children’s access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing:

• Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
• The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
• Unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
• Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
• Measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.

More Questions?  Search for answers on our support website or department FAQ page.

Visit Department FAQ Page