21st Century Schooling

This is just a worksheet that I did in Networking at school. I probably totally failed it, considering I included nothing about the class in my answer. But I decide it was worth it to get my point across.


Define what it means to be a 21st century student.

Nowadays you can’t just place a definition on a group that varies in self. You can describe what it means to be a successful 21st century student, or unsuccessful, or what you think we should strive to be. When in truth, not all students are being prepared for what they’re pursuing but they are being prepared for what the world wants them to be. In the 21st century, ideas and careers being pursued by the student are often completely different than what you’re being taught. Sometimes what you learn is in no way shape or form going to help you in your future, but then again maybe it will. Being a 21st century student means that you deal with the advancements, objectives, and standards of the world today, and try to learn through the thoughtless perceptions that were supposed to be accustomed to.

Define what a 21st century teacher should be.

I cannot define what a 21st teacher should be in the classroom. Students learn in different ways, some not at all, the teachers’ try or at least attempt to try to make the curriculum work for each student, even when sometimes, that isn’t what is needed. So therefore I can’t speak for the whole generation, but only for me when I describe what I think a 21st century teacher should be. I think a 21st century teacher should be patient, and stay at the level of the student, realizing where we’re at, and what we may be trying to understand and having trouble. The teacher should be open minded and not fixed or set on a certain standard or traditional way of teaching, or ideas. They should be understanding, and know that not all students have the same ability as others. They should be creative and able to keep our attention, so many times I’ve fell asleep or zoned out during a class. I wouldn’t even call it a class though, more like a lecture, or monotone monologue. Sometimes a teacher just needs to know why they’re in the classroom. Sure it’s a job, but it’s also the gateway to showing our generation what is and what isn’t needed or important. But then again these are my views on how a teacher should be, it doesn’t mean I’m right, but it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m wrong either. My views probably contradict many other students’ thoughts on this same issue.

Explain how an Educator can help you to be successful in this technological environment.

I’ll tell you how an Educator can help me be successful in this technological environment, but not how to help other students. Following up on what the teacher should be to help me, they should also know the material that they’re teaching me, and I realize that they probably have had many years of schooling on the subject that the teach. But what they don’t realize is that when they tell me all the things they know about it, it’s all in one semester, you’re cramming everything that took you years to learn into less than half of a year for me to learn. It’s not too hard to become overwhelmed. So the teacher should be patient and understanding, and provide me with the things that I absolutely need to know, and teach me the concepts in a way that I won’t forget them, and allow me to realize and decide for myself if it’s worth remembering. A teacher would help me by staying on my level, and working at the correct pace.

What kind of environment or technological access is required/needed to allow for this success?

An environment where it shouldn’t matter what the teacher’s strengths and weaknesses are, but what the students’ are. The priority to be focused on by you however, is how we (the students) can learn it in a way that works for us, and not your perceptions. And for technological access, a brain inside of a teacher that possesses all the past characteristics I supplied in the past few paragraphs. And the equipment for the process and material they will use to teach us.

Alive, but dead?

I hate it when parents tell us what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. They dont need to tell us these things, most of us are more than capable of making these decisions for ourselves. For example, do we really have to rake the leaves repeatedly over autumn. Cant we just wait til theyre done falling and then rake them, that way it only trakes one time. I mean is anyone really going to walk in our backyard and say it looks horrible? If our parents are really this subconscious about things like this. Then why bring us, the ones who could care less, into their own personal conflict. If they really care that much about it, when they create their own objectives, why dont they complete them theirselves? Is it too much to ask? And if you try to explain this to them, they play the parent card. Which ultimatley means, no excuses, theyre right and were wrong, end of discussion. That really pisses me off, and its the same for the majority of the adults around here. Even people in a political office. They say they want to help the world, and make the middle class better. Or are they? They want to decrease taxes for the poor and middle classes, and increase for the rich and i'm all for it, really. But think about it. If we decrease taxes for the middle/poor classes and then increase for the rich, then the rich people; who own most of the major stores corporations, etc. Won't be getting as much profit as theyre used to, so what happens then... pay cuts, and we get fired. Which takes us back to where we were or even worse. Then the kids, us, get the crap end of it. When all the way through, we had nothing to do with the conflicts. It's like as though were living and breathing, but everyone else is in control of our lives. When in fact, it seems to us like were dead. They make the decisions for us, they make the world what it is, and they're the ones that screw it up. I just cant wait til it's our turn...

Opinion or Fact? Whose to say there not the same

Recently, I was at school and was confronted on a certain contraversial view. A classmate of mine decided to disagree with my teacher on a certain law only used in a few states. The student said it should be outlawed, and the teacher said it should not. They argued for awhile both making very distinguished points on the issue. But while listening I couldnt sit and not question some of the so called "facts" they were proposing. But then I thought to myself, who am I to say what is a fact and what is a an opinion? Why should anyone be allowed to hear one persons view and say it isn't correct. Even if it isn't right doesnt mean it's not a fact, when it very well may be. The technical definition of opinion is "the expression of a belief that is held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof". But then again, who is to say what is positive knowledge or proof. Sure we know for an opinion to be true it should have something supporting it. But for example I'm willing to bet the first person that suggested we should bury the dead, was critcized by his peers. Saying it was inadequate or not proper. But his opinion became more well known, and is now supported by a vast majority of the entire human population. So we then decided to find facts to support his opinion also, such as the cadaver is sickening and shouldnt be in sight. So I guess what i'm trying to say is don't take somones opinion and say it can't be possible or will never come to be. Because there may very well be facts that support it, but no one has took the time to search. So be respectful of opinions because they are the base and ground of where facts came from.