Community Colleges

1
Community Colleges Technology The Mux

• Todd W. Jorns
• Educational Technologist

2
Agenda

• 21st Century Job Skills for Success
• The Millennial Generation
• Challenges for Community Colleges
• Technologys Ignorance, Impact Importance
• Questions and Answers

3
21st Century Job Skills

• Are They Really Ready to Work?
• Report released in October 2006
• The Conference Board
• Partnership for 21st Century Skills
• Corporate Voices for Working Families
• Society for Human Resource Management

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The Reports Findings

• The future workforce is ill-prepared.
• Incoming generation lacking in some needed
  workplace skills.
• Basic academic skills
• Advanced applied skills

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
5
Basic Knowlege/Skills

• English Language
• Reading Comprehension
• Writing in English
• Mathematics

• Government/ Economics
• Humanities
• Foreign Languages
• History/Geography

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
6
Applied Skills

• Critical Thinking
• Oral Communications
• Written Communications
• Teamwork/Collaboration
• Diversity
• Information Technology Applications

• Leadership
• Creativity/Innovation
• Lifelong Learning
• Professionalism/ Work Ethic
• Ethics/Social Responsibility

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
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Improvements Needed

• High School Graduates Deficient in
• Writing in English, Mathematics and Reading
  Comprehension (the three Rs).
• Written Communications and Critical Thinking,
  Problem Solving, Professionalism and Work Ethic.

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
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Improvements Needed

• Two-year Four-year College Graduates
  Deficient in
• Writing in English, Written Communications,
  Leadership and Professionalism/Work Ethic
• Overall much better prepared than high school
  graduates for entry-level jobs.

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
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Few Bright Spots

• High School Graduates Adequate in
• Information Technology Applications
• Diversity
• Teamwork/Collaboration

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
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Few Bright Spots

• Two-year Four-year College Graduates Adequate
  in
• Reading Comprehension and English Language
• Teamwork/Collaboration, Critical Thinking/Problem
  Solving and Diversity

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
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Brighter Spot

• Information Technology Application skills rated
  Excellent for
• Two-Year College Graduates (25.7)
• Four-Year College Graduates (46.3)
• We can do better!

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
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Future Workplace Skills

• Foreign Languages - cited as the number one basic
  knowledge area increasing in importance (63)
• Creativity/Innovation - cited among the top five
  applied skills to increase in importance (75)

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
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Emerging Content Areas

• Make Appropriate Choices Concerning Health and
  Wellness -nutrition, exercise, stress reduction,
  etc. (76.1)
• Exercise Personal Financial Responsibility -
  balancing checkbook, budgeting skills, retirement
  planning, etc. (71.5)

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
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Emerging Content Areas

• Use Skills to Enhance Workplace Productivity and
  Career Options (70.5)
• Understand Economic Issues and the Role of
  Business in the U.S. and Global Economy (60.6)

Are They Really Ready to Work? - Report
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Millennial Generation
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Common Generations

• GI/Veteran 1901 1924
• Silent/Traditionalist 1925 1942
• Baby Boomers 1943 - 1960
• Generation X 1961 - 1981
• Millennials 1982 - Today

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Millennials Are

• Special
• Sheltered
• Confident
• Team-Oriented
• Achieving
• Conventional

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Other Characteristics

• Technology Multi-tasking are a way of life
• Trial Error is their key learning strategy
  (Nintendo logic)
• They are used to bits bytes, flash color
• They are racially ethnically diverse
• They want their parents involved
• They have zero tolerance for delays

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Mobility

• Mobile Web Sites
• Personal Digital Assistants (PDA)
• Palm Pocket PC
• Smart Phones (iPhone, Blackberry, etc.)
• Laptops

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Uniqueness

• Look no further than your own browser...
• Content delivery must be relevant timely
• Yahoo, Google Amazon changed everything - for
  the better
• Ignore distractions if not pertinent

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Interactivity

• Engage with technology
• Teach with technology the Internet
• Combine your customer service model for
  admissions, registration, records, cashier,
  financial aid and technical questions
• Expand delivery methods (in person, dynamic
  website, email, phone, instant messaging,
  blogging, chat, video) to a single point of
  contact (system)

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Challenges for Community Colleges
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League for Innovation

• Learning and the Road Ahead - Monograph - 2007
• Gerardo E. de los Santos, President CEO of the
  League for Innovation
• Mark David Milliron, President CEO of Catalyze
  Learning International
• Surveyed 800 community college CEOs

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Learning Swirl

• Students continue to swirl in and out of
  learning experiences.
• Students are matching their changing learning
  needs with colleges expanding learning options.
• Is your institution keeping pace?

Learning and the Road Ahead - Monograph
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Learning Swirl

• 82 of CEOs surveyed think Credit Enrollment will
  increase.
• 84 think Basic Skills and Developmental Programs
  Enrollment will increase.
• 82 dont think English as a Second Language will
  decrease.

Learning and the Road Ahead - Monograph
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Learning Needs

• 91 of CEOs think there will be a greater need
  for Public Service Workers (teachers, nurses,
  police officers, EMTs).
• 87 think a significant emphasis will be placed
  on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
  (STEM) programs.
• 69 think their institution will experience
  Significant Employee Turnover.

Learning and the Road Ahead - Monograph
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Learning Needs

• 82 of CEOs dont think the number of Certificate
  Programs will decrease.
• 67 dont think Noncredit Workforce Enrollment
  will decrease.
• 86 think Small Business Programming will
  increase.

Learning and the Road Ahead - Monograph
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Learning Technology

• 93 of CEOs think Web-based Tools will
  increasingly be used as a key part of Student
  Services.
• 89 dont think their use of Online Courses will
  decrease.
• 93 think they will expand their offerings of
  Blended/Hybrid Courses.

Learning and the Road Ahead - Monograph
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Learning Technology

• 93 of CEOs think Student Expectations will drive
  even greater technology use.
• 93 think Mobile Learning Strategies (wireless
  tablet PCs, ipods, PDAs, and cell phones) will be
  increasingly used.
• 62 think their institutions will explore using
  Digital Gaming in courses, outreach, or both.

Learning and the Road Ahead - Monograph
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Technologys Ignorance, Impact Importance
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Technologys Ignorance

• Only does what we tell (program) it to do
• Doesnt care about age, gender, race, economic
  background, intelligence level, etc.
• Doesnt know or care if being used or abused
• Doesnt discriminate among good and poor
  technology users
• Will continue to get better expand uses

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Technologys Impact

• Multiple Learning Styles (PowerPoint, blogs,
  podcasts, vodcasts, etc.)
• Students with Disabilities (text readers, voice
  recognition, etc.)
• Communication Mobility (laptops, PDAs, iPods,
  cell phones, etc.)
• Learning Anytime, Anywhere (online learning) -
  Everywhere, Every time?

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Technologys Importance

• Are 21st Century Skills Right Brain Skills?
• Article by Doug Johnson, 2006
• Talks about Thomas Freidmans book, The World is
  Flat and
• Daniel Pinks book, A Whole New Mind Moving
  from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age

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Technologys Importance

• Shifting from an Information Age to Conceptual
  Age
• 21st century workers will need left-brain
  analytic skills along with right-brain abilities
• High Concept (seeing larger picture
  synthesizing information)
• High Touch (being empathetic creating meaning)

Are 21st Century Skills Right Brain Skills? -
Article
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Technologys Importance

• Some right brain Senses to complement our left
  brain Analytic Skills
• Function Design
• Argument Story
• Seriousness Play
• Knowledge Learning

Are 21st Century Skills Right Brain Skills? -
Article
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Technology to Cultivate New Conceptual Skills

• Design
• Assess not just content, but appearance of
  student work
• Teach visual literacy
• Teach drawing painting programs

Are 21st Century Skills Right Brain Skills? -
Article
37
Technology to Cultivate New Conceptual Skills

• Story
• Teach speaking skills along with multimedia
  presentation creation
• Teach story boarding as a digital photography
  skill

Are 21st Century Skills Right Brain Skills? -
Article
38
Technology to Cultivate New Conceptual Skills

• Play
• Teach with games and computer simulations
• Offer music classes that include electronic music
  composition
• Allow access to humor websites

Are 21st Century Skills Right Brain Skills? -
Article
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Technology to Cultivate New Conceptual Skills

• Learning
• Teach processes, not just facts
• Allow students to research subject areas of
  personal interest
• Encourage students to learn in non-traditional
  ways (online, job shadowing and apprenticeships)

Are 21st Century Skills Right Brain Skills? -
Article
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Questions Answers

• (Not for your Magic Eight Ball)

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Resources

• Are They Really Ready to Work?
• www.conference-board.org/publications/describe.cfm
  ?id1218
• Learning and the Road Ahead
• Gerardo E. de los Santos Mark David Milliron
• www.league.org/store/catalog.htm?

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Resources

• Are 21st Century Skills Right Brain Skills?
• Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology
  for the Mankato Public Schools
• http//www.education-world.com/a_tech/columnists/j
  ohnson/johnson006.shtml