USING ICT IN DEVELOPING 21st CENTURY SKILLS/ ICT IN THE 21st CENTURY

                                                                                                                                

          In today's world, nothing is permanent or stays the same. All things evolve and undergo changes, may it be a change that brought negative impact to such aspects or a change for good benefits. Hence, education is not an exemption to what the new world offers. Since the world welcomes and acknowledges the existence of the 21st century, technological tools, digital devices, and 21st century skills develop as well. Holistically, through these devices and tools, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) became possible in transmitting core knowledge and skills from the traditional culture of education into integrating the current digital world. This happened because the needs of the people became in demand, and we had to cope with the changing society in order to live accordingly.

 According to UNESCO, "ICT can play a vital role in bridging the digital divide and ensuring equitable access to quality education for all." This highlights the significance of ICT in education that will not only foster the standardized, engaging classroom setting, yet will also help to enhance and leverage the knowledge, talents, and skills of learners regarding the use of ICT in the aspect of teaching and learning. As we delve into the exquisite use of ICT in education, we are not only tackling the technology solely. Learners and teachers as curricularists are part of establishing and contextualizing the technological devices to cater to the needs and be aligned with the goals and objectives of education. This comes first in the framework, or blueprint, which is the curriculum that serves as a guide in effectively incorporating newly enhanced technologies and strategies to hereby comprehend the learner’s learning needs and styles. Therefore, a successful implementation will not be of great accomplishment without developing 21st-century skills.

The K-12 curriculum, one example of curriculum that was being implemented here in Philippines does not only encompasses the educational framework for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. It also paradigms the subjects, learning objectives, and standards that students are expected to master across various disciplines. 

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With the integration of information and communication technology (ICT), it has flauntingly revitalized and transfigured into a dynamic and engaging learning landscape. These ICT can be learning management systems, educational platforms, or apps for teaching and learning that provide both parties with personalized and collaborative learning experiences while being immersed in fun, in-depth learning and content-driven learning. Furthermore, ICT grants access to an immense and expansive myriad of world-wide resources, including educational websites and all it offers beyond the traditional classroom setting. Information, communication, and technology (ICT) as an essential aspect of the 21st century has opened widely my eyes for more opportunities to teach and learn education, and I realized that education does not cling only to what we adapted for the past years but is a maturing and progressing approach. As tech-integrated learners, there is lots of significant and mind-blowing knowledge that I have learned throughout this journey. Indeed, “Experience is the Best Teacher.” The conceptual knowledge became an experiential one because I have the chance to know fully what curriculum is, how it is being implemented, what the ICT tools are, and what 21st century skills are needed to be honed for each of us in order to integrate technology effectively in education. Additionally, I have introspected thoroughly the essence of curriculum. That it is not all about how to deliver instructions and make students learn a specific subject or aspect only, yet curriculum as an educational framework has a purpose to give the learners their best shot in teaching and learning that will not only last at the end of a semester or in a school year, but for a life-long learning experience that they will never forget. In order to implement an effective curriculum, there are various ways we need to encounter before we completely have a smooth outcome. Just as life’s challenges, we necessarily have to face these challenges in order for us to be strong and bold enough to turn trials into triumph. We have to make the curriculum a student-friendly guide that helps these learners to comprehend and contextualize clearly the things they need and want to understand. Lastly, even though the presence of ICT through technological tools exists, I have learned that it will not be of great utilization without the proper usage, control, and effectiveness of the learner/teacher using it. It became advantageous and beneficial to us because it is the way we portray ICT in the 21st century. It is the effort and skill we put into that make the use of these technologies impactful, specifically towards education.

 

       These learning and relevant knowledge that I have gained about integrating ICT in the 21^st century will not only be acknowledged at these times yet will adapt and will always be part for the next generation as well. The curriculum process, its creation and purpose, the use of technological tools effectively and recognizably aware of the learner’s needs and styles in teaching and learning will not continuously forego without the help of consistencies and adaptations. Hence, any strategic approach or methods to align these matters would not be effective enough without proper utilization and contextualization. At last, the future of education is anchored in a personalized approach that leverages technology to meet individual learner needs. We need to put in mind that making a curriculum is not just making a plan of action but solely, it is the recipe to a successful teaching and learning where educators tend to have more approaches, methodologies and teaching instruction in delivering effectively the knowledge and experience a learner should have. While students at the same time, cater the needs of their diverse learning styles. Moreover, technology can be incorporated to create a more engaging, exciting and innovating approach to meet the current needs and demands of learners’ educational journey. In this way, we can still preserve what we have conventionally and so on, adapt modernly the things and aspects of this 21^st century.