Utica Community Schools has sent more than
2,200 new graduates out into the world this year.
They are leaving our schools with a wealth of
experience, bold determination, a sense of optimism about their futures and
that extra something known to our community as UCS means Success.
Our district has a long legacy of graduating
young men and women with both a solid academic foundation in core areas as well
as the skills needed for success in their postsecondary educational pursuits,
military service or the workplace.
Never before has academic success been as
important as it is today, as educators throughout the nation redefine the
characteristics students will need in order to be competitive in tomorrow’s
workforce.
Yale economist Robert Shiller recently wrote
in The New York Times about the impact the technology age and automation have
had on available jobs (New York Times, May 22, 2015).
He reasoned that because computers are
becoming more adept at processing and compiling information traditionally
handled by employees, job providers will need a different kind of workforce. He
concluded that teachers “should define and provide to our students a certain
kind of general, flexible, insight-bearing human learning that… cannot be
replaced (by computers).”
I am confident our graduates this year and
those that follow will continue to be well-prepared for this changing job
market – to think differently – thanks to the work of our teachers to provide
students opportunities for success at every level.
A prime example is our district’s
nationally-recognized use of technology in all K-12 classrooms. Effective
technology integration goes hand-in-hand with developing students who are able
to work collaboratively, demonstrate flexibility, apply essential problem-solving
skills and succeed at the next level.
The Digital Learning Media Design (DLMD)
course introduced this year in our seven junior high schools already supports
the skills Dr. Shiller referenced. Beyond teaching computer expertise, the DLMD
curriculum stresses important concepts in using technology in the most
effective and appropriate ways.
The course has our students put together a
complex multimedia presentation that requires them to focus on addressing an
important issue such as cyberbullying. Students work in small groups to prepare
an overall presentation on the topic and possible solutions they then offer to
the whole class for input and discussion. In the process, everyone is
accountable for producing a successful project – an authentic workplace skill.
Flexibility and creative learning are truly
fundamental to all of our programs. Another prime example of teaching our
students how to think differently is in the area of language arts. Students are
taken beyond basic literacy skills to consider different situations – such as
imagining what would happen to the characters in Harper Lee’s novel "To
Kill a Mockingbird"
if the story was told today.
if the story was told today.
Dr. Shiller’s observation is correct up to a
point, but the reality is that computers can only take us so far. To navigate
their future, our students will need to go beyond where technology stops. They
must also develop the intrinsic human drive for success – “the grit” – that can
never be automated.
This June, as I stood on the stage at the
district’s six commencement ceremonies and looked out at our collective Class
of 2015, I saw that grit and creativity in the faces of each of the graduates.
They have that one thing that will always make
a difference in tomorrow’s job market and in life – the advantage of UCS Success.
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