Week 2- Blog Posting #4 -21st Century Skills & Lifelong Learning

Not much has changed in regards to how children think. I remember cheating, being cheated on, and watching others cheat as a student. It is no surprise that students are still cheating. When I was in school, the key was to write answers on anything from shoes to notebooks. If I had had access to a camera, cheating would have been much easier. It is the familiar movie plot of scoring the test and copying the answers without the hassle, or planning involved carrying out such a risky behavior. While on Facebook, I became friends with Woody to get a free burger from Fridays.

http://www.prnewswire.com/container/tgifridays/tgifridayssocialmedianewsrelease-woody-jackdaniels/

On the page I saw a link to a free seminar on hi-tech cheating for educators.

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/webinar-cheating?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=cheating-webinar

The seminar is offered twice in October by Common Sense Media and I think that if I can arrange it, I am more than interested in looking at how students are cheating with today’s technology and maybe learning some more about how I be more aware as an educator. To better explore this concept, I also found an article on U.S. News & World Report (2008). In this article I learned that students were anteing up in terms of their use of technology and far they were willing to go to cheat. I have to address plagiarism in my class and the use of purchased assignments since I teach speech and there are a plethora of speech topics, samples, and for sale finished projects. What I had not considered was the use of other devices such as wireless earpieces used to share answers. Apparently, students in China were cheating on national college entrance exams using this Wi-Fi technology.

I think the questions being asked aren’t necessarily how are digital immigrants and natives different, but how are we the same and what that means.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/2008/10/03/cheating-students-use-technology-too.html

Looking at the students is an important role of an educator and one I feel some colleges overlook. An article titled, The 50% Solution, does just that. It calls attention to the tendency for colleges to focus on 18-20 year olds as the primary goal for graduation and the future of

our welfare as a nation. The article criticizes the solution of targeting students who are just entering college as a “50% solution” because it is not recognizing the non-traditional students that are growing in numbers. I have seen both sides of the spectrum as a teacher. Previously, I taught at a college that had dual enrollment, which arranged for students to take college credit courses and receive their associate degree before or at the same time as their high school diploma. While I thought this program was very opportunistic, I also felt that several students were not ready for a college education and certainly were not serious enough as learners. The amount of students I saw that understood the skills they could learn and apply as lifelong learners were far and few between. What I did notice and what I see now is that non-traditional students are returning to school during the economical hardships we are seeing in our economy and these are the students who want to learn and respect their role as a learner.

With this is mind, the article takes the variables of this and translates them to include students who are still in the workforce and those who do not want to attend a college with all the unnecessary bells and whistles. Adults want an education at this point, not a social group of friends on campus or the chance to swim in a newly built rec. center. I think that is why online education is becoming so highly coveted by lifelong learners who are looking to enhance their current skill set or add new ones to an already established repertoire. The article included several steps that should be considered to allow an easier transition for those looking to continue or finish their education. I know first hand how difficult it can be to try and get a degree when life intervenes. My husband is a prime example. He started at Devry out of high school, but the program was wrong. He began going to a community college, but had difficulty adjusting to general education and a lack of student based learning that included engagement. He knew more than his teachers and was always shelved with “busy work”. He started online and was very comfortable in the program but was at a disadvantage because he would not finish for five years because of the online program setup. He began hoping to transfer credits. He then moved across the country to attend Full Sail and finish in two years. He was less than six months from graduating when he was unable to secure a personal loan to finish due to the restrictions after the economy sank. He is now faced with the problem of whether to use his skills to pursue a job or finish at the local college to have any type of degree. If the recommendations from this article were in place, he would not be faced with such a difficult struggle.

I understand how important the collegiate system is and the old idea of a well-rounded person, but I do believe we are also restricting many smart, productive members of society from pursuing an education because of the hang-ups within the system. Web 2.0 may be a solution to encourage non-traditional students to be considered an important 50% of lifelong learners that are being ignored.

http://www.rethinkinghighereducation.com/2009/09/the-50-solution/