21st Century Literacy Skills

This past week the school received some criticism in the media due to the relocation of our library (and reduction in books) and its subsequent replacement with a fitness facility.  Although there have been discussions surrounding the merits of physical fitness and the move towards personalized learning as one of the key drivers in this move, one of the pieces that warrants further dialogue is the evolving face of literacy.  The way in which our students are accessing information is quickly changing.  I was reminded of this yesterday as I walked through a couple of classrooms that just happened to be engaged in silent reading.  While most of the students were reading softcover novels, some students were engaged with e-books downloaded on their smartphones and ipods.  With the implementation of a school-wide wireless network, students now have access to Google and You Tube at their fingertips.  As students engage in project work and assignments, many are able to access resource information within seconds. 

While reading and comprehending this information  are still key components of what we teach, we also now need to teach our students about the value of critical thinking, which is a necessary skill in  navigating such a wide array of readily available information. 
Along with critical thinking, the Ministry of Education has identified several skills that they have been termed key competencies for being successful as a 21st Century Learner (in addition to the traditional three of numeracy, reading and writing).
These 21st Century Foundational Skills are called the Seven Cs:

• Critical thinking and problem solving

• Creativity and innovation

• Collaboration, teamwork, and leadership

• Cross-cultural understanding

• Communications, computing and ICT literacy

• Career and learning self-reliance

• Caring for personal health and planet earth.

With an increased emphasis on these "new age" skills, students and teachers are increasingly looking towards social media as a means to participate in collaborative learning and to engage students in these key competency areas.  I was reading an article recently that outlined the fact that Facebook has now overtaken all other pursuits as the leading free-time occupation.  According to digitalbuzzblog, "with over 500 million users, Facebook is now used by 1 in every 13 people on earth, with over 250 million of them (over 50%) who log in every day with 48% of 18-34 year olds checking Facebook when they wake up, and 28% doing so before even getting out of bed." 

This is staggering information: it impacts the way businesses recruit new workers, but also how they use social networking to advertise and collect information about the end user.  This is why it is so crucial for our school to not only continue to pursue traditional skills (reading, writing, and math) but to engage our students in activities and technology that allow them to keep up with our changing world, and to support them becoming responsible citizens able to critically evaluate the volume of data hitting them on a daily basis.  As we move forward in this pursuit, not only is the school changing the way it accesses and presents information, but also the way in which we engage outside sources as part of our global learning network.  More to come on the use of technology in the coming weeks.

On a separate note, this week would have seen the first mail out of student progress reports.  With the current job action in place, this will not occur.  We are encouraging parents to contact teachers directly via phone to find out how your son or daughter are doing.  (250-442-8285)
Have a great week and please check in regularly at our website for updated information and announcements.