Teaching The 4C's With Applied Digital Skills

@LisaBerghoff/@Joe_EdTech

Special thanks for contributions from @MrAguina

Open-Source Image from Shutterstock.com

Since next week is Computer Science Education Week (also known as Hour of Code Week), I thought it would be the perfect time to discuss one of the elephants in the room when it comes to technology.

We all know that our students are skilled Snapchat users but where will that skill get them later in life? According to a Pearson LearnEd article, 65% of today's 12-year-olds will have jobs that don't yet exist.  I know that for several years the idea of "digital natives" (them) vs. "digital immigrants" (us) was something that was widely talked about and understood. After all, for my entire childhood if I took a picture I had to wait for the film to get developed to find out if it was any good. My own children have not experienced a pay phone or wondering what time the taxi will actually show up.

However, just because they grow up with this stuff does not mean they intuitively know how to use it in ways that will prepare them for the job market of the future. 

So at this point, you are probably thinking- But I'm not an expert in using digital tools for the future job market! There's a good chance many of us are not experts in using digital tools for even the current job market.  We also know that it's not really about the technology tools. Those tools are going to change and evolve over time. The focus is now on the 4C's: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. So the question is- how can we prepare our students for the future?

No need to panic, Google has come up with a new curriculum called Applied Digital Skills. It is a technology curriculum for practical problem solving with digital tools. It is completely free and it is designed to be an in-person, blended learning environment where students practice life skills while they solve problems and build projects together using Google apps.  Applied Digital Skills was created for middle school, high school, college, and adult learners.
Here is a 1:30 minute video explaining what it's all about.

The problem-solving format of the units keeps the information engaging and relevant. The blended learning platform includes video content, peer mentoring and collaboration, and teacher facilitation and support. Good digital citizenship and ethics gets woven into the curriculum as opposed to a stand-alone lesson which helps students understand these concepts in a very real way. 

Even though Applied Digital Skills is a comprehensive curriculum, teachers can pick and choose what they want to use and when they want to use it. You can find units that already fit nicely into your existing curriculum and work it in. Each unit lists the skills that are being worked on, the number of activities, and about how long it should take to complete. Some of the units for high school include: If-Then Adventure Stories, Research and Develop a Topic, Technology, Ethics, and Security, Plan an Event, and Pick The Next Box Office Hit. There are about 15 units to choose from for the high school level.  Here is what the first unit overview looks like:

Getting started is easy! You just go to AppliedDigitalSkills.withGoogle.com and use your school credentials to sign up. Once you have created a class, you can give the class code to your students. You will have access to their data so you can keep track of their progress. Google has even created rubrics for you to assess your students. Everything is built in and easy to access. The curriculum has earned the "Seal of Alignment" from ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education) which means it has been vetted as a tool that is not just fluff, it actually will help move students to a place where they are able to navigate the skills they will need, both digital and non-digital, to be collaborative problem-solvers. 

Here is a sneak peek at one of the unit's introduction videos. This unit is called Using Programming To Automate Tasks. It gives students a taste of what it's like to program in order to automate something that is useful to them.

I definitely encourage you to check out the curriculum. While it might not seem like your particular area of discipline fits in with Applied Digital Skills, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. There are practical applications that can be utilized across many areas and the more we all can work together, the more connections our students will be able to make.  

There is lots of help built in but if you want to work on this curriculum together, or you just want to take a look at it, feel free to contact me!

Are you already using Applied Digital Skills? Feel free to comment below and let me know how you are incorporating it into your everyday curriculum.