The skill that I personally feel is the most important would be “Ways of thinking.” Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and learning.
I feel the most important of these “Ways of thinking” would be problem-solving followed by learning, decision making and critical thinking, and finally creativity,
While each of the 21st century skills is incredibly important and relevant to life today, I feel if you can’t problem solve, think critically, or make a decision, then all of the other skills will be obsolete. Each skill has its specific place in life, however as we all know with Technology integrated into our lives, Technology will fail you at some point in your life. Today I witness so many kids and adults for that matter, that once the technology fails, they forget how to Problem solve or think critically to continue working without “said device or program” I witness many times the Internet might go down, and kids can’t figure out how to go to a library and open an encyclopedia to do research. People look at what they don’t have, and if they can’t think creatively, they can not figure out how to make things work with what they do have.
Take Google from a child for a day, and you will see that they start to falter and fumble when it comes to finding an answer to something they do not know. How many times have you gone to a store or fast food place, paid cash and when the cash register is not functioning, the cashier can’t make change for you?
While I haven’t completely planned out my technology Infusion plan, I would like to think that “Ways of thinking” will come in to play from the aspect of I like to give my teachers some options on how they can use a resource to integrate technology into the classroom. The teacher will then need to be creative on making it their own. They will need to make the decision as to how said resource will be able to work in the classroom. For example, I worked with my teachers to help integrate flippity flash cards with google spreadsheets in the classroom. One teacher took it a whole different creative route. Rather than thinking in the format of “Question” and “Answer” he looked at it as, “I want to put Non-Sense words on the cards and the kids then read through them.” This then spurred other thoughts among the other teachers. (I know, this is also collaboration at its finest, as well.)
As for assessing “Ways of thinking” I do believe this would be one of the hardest to assess. No two minds really work the same, therefore I do believe this form of assessment for this 21st Century Skill would have to be evaluated by someone who can look at things objectively realizing their way of solving something is not the only way. Creativity is to each his own. We all have a difference of opinion on what we think is creative. Its kind of the same with Problem Solving skills. Are you going to just assess that they solve the problem successfully, or do you require them to solve the problem a specific way? I feel it is going to be a greater challenge to assess "Ways of thinking", but those who really love a challenge will be glad to take it and run!
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