The start of a new school year is fast approaching bringing the excitement and anxiety of new challenges and initiatives. If you have followed the CATEC Blog at all this past year you are aware of some of the significant new initiatives we are putting in place. CATEC's new focus points towards 5 major areas of emphasis as part of our vision for our school, staff, and students. These 5 areas include the following: 1) Technical skills; 2) Soft/Workplace skills; 3) Literacy enhancement and growth; 4) Use of technology (both functional and innovative ((web 2.0)); and 5) Entrepreneurship

Most Career and Technical centers and courses focus heavily on the first 2 areas. We have added to these areas by focusing on what's important to prepare students for 21st Century Careers, NO MATTER WHAT THE OCCUPATION THEY CHOOSE. While many would think that "industry" would prefer us to focus primarily on #1, the reality is that employers are looking more at workers who have a strong work ethic (#2) and are able to critically think, problem solve and create (produce) based on their experiences and training (#'s 3 through 5).

Some of our students will explore the programs at CATEC and end up working in that particular area or field for a lifetime. Many, however, will take their experiences and use them in fields that aren't directly related or perhaps haven't even been invented yet.

These are challenging but exciting times in education. We feel, at CATEC, that we are on to something that is big. Bigger than just teaching students facts and figures. We feel as if we are creating the foundation for students to be empowered and to be best prepared to create, produce and be lifelong learners. The destination is always important but the journey creates the most opportunities.

Through our PLC work as part of the CAI workshops this week, our CATEC team has revised and developed a core set of "workplace readiness" skills that are essential for effective and efficient employment. Through the process we developed a set of "minimal expectations" to be measured each day for our students. The BIG IDEA here-students shouldn't be rewarded fro doing waht is expected. (therefore if you do these activities, you receive a "C" for the day. You are meeting the minimal expectations as an employee (student).

These minimal expectations are: Demonstrating the minimum standard of workplace behaviors will earn you a C (75) for a Workplace Skills grade. To meet basic workplace standards, you will:

***be punctual, arriving to class before the bell rings and returning to class promptly after a break

***be prepared, having the supplies, materials, and resources needed for daily instruction

***accept constructive criticism, listening to and finding value in the opinions of others to make better educated decisions

***demonstrate a productive work ethic, working for the duration of the class period, maintaining an effort level consistent with professional expectations

***be honest and trustworthy

***use constructive teamwork skills, adding value, pulling your weight, cooperating, and staying on task

***use materials and equipment correctly and safely, following all protocols and referring to instructions when necessary (i.e., CATEC's Student Safety Guidelines in CATEC's Staff Book)

***follow instructions promptly, paying attention to activities of the day

***be flexible and adaptable in regards to changing job situations, environments, procedures

***cooperate with peers, teachers, and administrators be respectful of people of other races, gender, religions, and nationalities

***complete work on time, managing your time, being organized, working under pressure, and working "smarter, not harder"

***demonstrate positive professional and social behaviors - using appropriate language, dressing to meet expectations, and being respectful to peers, teachers, and administrators, and others

***communicate effectively with peers, teachers, and administrators by listening, speaking, and writing in a professional manner

In addition, students will have to demonstrate one or more of the following to earn higher grades based on their daily performance. These include:

Workplace Skills-The next level expectations for the exemplary student (employee) (10 points each)

To earn a higher grade, you must reach to a higher standard. You must:

@@@show initiative and self-motivation, making independent decisions

@@@solve problems independently, thinking critically, weighing pros and cons, adding value with appropriate questions, and independently locating information

@@@lead, guiding others, influencing others to act in a positive manner, teaching others, and helping to resolve conflicts

@@@add value to instruction, bringing in topic-related articles or objects, telling meaningful anecdotes from personal experience, and effectively using of technology to enhance the learning experience

@@@create/produce, making a "product" that is over and above what is required; demonstrating, articulating, and promoting your learning/understanding through creation @@@take pride in your work, paying attention to detail independently help others, giving of your own time and resources when appropriate

At a recent conference I had the privilege of listening to Michele Bowman of Global Foresight Associates, Inc., discussing the future and how it relates to education. Her presentation was eye-opening and had the audience out of their comfort zone in exploring not what is- but what "could be" in the not so distant future. One of our initiatives as a career and tech school is to keep up with the latest technologies and how they impact instruction as well as to understand what and how students are learning today in not so formal environments. Two areas the spaeker highlighted were pertaining to technology changes. Semapedias and Virtual Worlds were touched on and their impact on consumers. I have to admit that I hadn't heard of either one prior to the conference. Here's a rundown.

With Semapedia or Semapedia Tagging, you can hyperlink your physical world with knowledge that matters. To do this you create small Semapedia Tags consisting of a cell-phone readable 2D Barcodes that will link others to the content you provide. Or put simply: Mark things like buildings, books, airplanes, cars or whatever with small Semapedia Tags that let others be an entry-point for more information. Essentially you go to Wikipedia (if you don't know what WIKI is, you need a refresher course on 21st century technology) and look up something that has an interesting reference to something in the real world. You copy this URL into a predesigned form that gives you a printable 2D bar code that you can print as a pdf file. Take this printout (preferably on an adhesive label) and stick it somewhere where the reference would be helpful. ( the site recommends that you get permission before you begin sticking these up all over the place).

Now anyone walking by with a camera phone can take a picture of the 2D-bar code and get the link of information instantaneously on their phone. While hard to image the relevancy of doing this beyond a very creative scavenger hunt, I'm sure there will be practical applications in the not so distant future.

Another new and evolving technology involves Virtual Worlds. Do you have your own avatar? What am I writing about you ask? According to Wiki, virtual worlds are defined as follows:

A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars. This habitation usually is represented in the form of two or three-dimensional graphical representations of humanoids (or other graphical or text-based avatars). Some, but not all, virtual worlds allow for multiple users.

The world being computer-simulated typically appears similar to the real world, with real world rules such as gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication. Communication has, until recently, been in the form of text, but now real-time voice communication using VOIP is available. This type of virtual world is now most common in massively multiplayer online games.

Does this sound like the 21st century version of our Atari and Pac-man? Well, somewhat but actually its much more than just a computer simulation game. Read the following description according to the Horizon Project web site on virtual worlds and their education relevance:

Overview of this Trend's Impact on Education Current Impact While slight in numbers, current examples do exist of how virtual worlds are impacting education. Many high schools are taking advantage of virtual worlds, using them to work with other schools or study things and places that otherwise they would never be able to see. Some colleges are accepting the use, creating campuses and providing classes in Second Life (SL). Very few elementary level educators see the benefits of the revolutionary learning tool, but the possibilities are there for the youngest of students as well. Studying Marco Polo? Why not meet him? Learning about different types of rocks? Why not go inside of one? Virtual Worlds provide these opportunities to students of all ages.

Augmented Reality Augmented Reality is a type of virtual world that uses an actual physical space. Students have a laptop or cell phone (something with a screen) and a GPS tracker. When the student reaches a previously specified area of the designated space, the GPS triggers a video to start on the screen. That video would lead them to another space, triggering another video. It would be like a treasure map, with the final lesson at the end. The process is an interactive learning method.

Future Eventually virtual worlds will permeate into every aspect of education. They (virtual worlds and education) will be one - inseparable, impossible to distinguish or differerientate. People will be able to attend a school solely in virtual worlds. Classes, from kindergarten to college, will be able to go inside a whale's stomach or visit ancient Rome, even design entire cities. The possibilities are endless and available. We need only to take advantage of them.

So, does all of this sound a little like an old Star Trek show? Well the reality is that it's here and we have only seen the tip of the iceberg in how these technologies will impact our lives and our classrooms.

Stay tuned......