Becoming Future Ready

"The future depends on what we do in the present."           -Mahatma Gandhi

For several years now, educational technology has been a focal point of many schools and educators around the globe.  Cutting edge teachers and school districts used to highlight how they were teaching their students "21st-century skills"...until recently when some wise person pointed out that the 21st century actually began well over a decade ago.

The terminology has recently changed, and now schools are helping students become "future ready".  The Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology has even started a Future Ready Pledge for school districts to take in order to motivate more schools to get on board with adequately preparing students for what lies ahead.  Regardless of the terminology, the sentiment remains constant.  Schools do a disservice to their students if they do not attempt to prepare them for the future, and the only thing that is certain is that the future will be tremendously different than the present day.

AMLE National Conference in Austin, TX

Coincidentally, I just returned from presenting on this very topic at the Association for Middle Level Education's (AMLE) national conference in Austin, Texas.  The presentation I gave with two other colleagues was entitled "Technology + Higher Level Thinking = Student Engagement".  Our focus was on how educators can meaningfully integrate technology into the classroom so students can engage in higher level thinking tasks at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy.  Tasks that require students to analyze, evaluate, and create  are the type of rigorous tasks that produce future-ready students.  The important thing for teachers to remember is that the integration of educational technology is not about the tool being used; rather it is about the purpose the tool serves.  If we are to truly make our students future ready, the integration of educational technology should allow students to access information in a new way, communicate learning in a new way, collaborate with others in a new way, and/or create products in a new way.  

Pleasantdale District 107 has already taken significant steps to help ensure our students will be future ready.  Last year, the district created our C4 learning plan to address the "Four Cs" (critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration), thus framing our approach to shaping future ready students.  An integral part of this plan is also helping students understand how to adapt to ever-changing technology, and, of equal importance, how to use available technology in conjunction with the Four Cs to solve problems and demonstrate their understanding of the world around them.  The district also created a new position on the staff, the Innovative Teaching Coach (iTC), who collaborates regularly with elementary and middle school teachers to help them meaningfully integrate technology into their classrooms.  Grooming future ready students is also a central topic of conversation for our district's future planning committee as they prepare a vision for the future of our school district.

We are so fortunate that Pleasantdale is a place where teachers, parents, administrators, and community members all work together to help our students be as prepared as possible for what lies ahead after their time in District 107 is behind them.  Because after all, as Mahatma Gandhi wisely stated, "The future depends on what we do in the present."