Chat Room: The Next Big Thing

According to enGauge (www.ncrel.org/engauge)—a Web-based framework for high-performing schools that's sponsored by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), a nonprofit research organization, and the Metiri Group, an educational consulting firm—21st-century skills will enable kids to become creative problem solvers who will flourish in the information-oriented workplace. Sounds good. But what exactly are these skills?

1. Basic literacy (reading, writing, listening, and speaking)
2. Scientific literacy (knowledge of science, scientific thinking, and mathematics)
3. Technological literacy (the ability to understand and work with computers, networks, and software)
4. Visual literacy (the ability to decipher, interpret, and express ideas using images, charts, graphs, and video)
5. Information literacy (the ability to find, evaluate, and use information effectively)
6. Cultural literacy (knowledge and appreciation of the diversity of peoples and cultures)
7. Global awareness (understanding and recognition of the interrelations of nations, corporations, and politics around the world)

To further complicate things, another 21st-century skills framework is now in the works—one that will have the support of the Department of Education. The Partnership for 21st-Century Skills (www.21stcenturyskills.org), a group made up of heavy hitters such as Apple, Dell, Cisco Systems, and Microsoft, is putting the finishing touches on a list that will be released this summer. The skills list will be similar to the one above, although the precise terminology will differ. For example, competencies three and five will probably be combined and referred to as "information and communications technologies (ICT) literacy."

Jennifer Greeson, a spokesperson for the Partnership for 21st-Century Skills, defines ICT literacy as "the ability to effectively utilize the technology tools of the time while applying continued learning skills." ICT literacy (or whatever one chooses to call it) troubles me because it sounds far removed from the kind of information literacy described in the American Association of School Librarians'Information Power (ALA Editions, 1998).

Yet there's no doubt that these competencies are essential: about 40 percent of all jobs already require these skills and that figure will continue to rise as jobs in manufacturing decline, says Cheryl Lemke, Metiri's president and CEO. What will these 21st-century skills mean for librarians?

Lemke argues that the new literacy skills should enhance a librarian's role as an educator. It's all based on how you see yourself, she says. "Are you a gatekeeper, a keeper of the books, or are you a technology partner?" she asks. A technology partner always looks for ways to collaborate with the school community and to offer guidance in how technology can help boost student achievement. Librarians need to take the lead in teaching all of the new lifelong skills, says Lemke. Focusing on only one or two skill areas—such as information literacy—would be a prescription for failure. "We'll never get to the place where No Child Left Behind wants us to go without all these [21st-century] skills," she says, referring to President Bush's ambitious education plan.

So don't be stuck in your old ways. Embrace change. If you haven't thought about a role for yourself as a teacher and guide in the new world of 21st-century skills, now's the time. Being a technology partner doesn't mean giving up booktalking and promoting great books. No matter how sleek and exotic technology becomes, kids will keep reading as long as the adults in their lives expose them to terrific stories. And even after the lists of literacy skills have been shelved or revised a dozen times, a librarian who serves as a technology partner will be seen as a master of all the literacies.