Module 4: Readiness
In this module you will learn more about the skills that colleges and employers expect from applicants, and how digital citizenship education can help them develop those skills. Read the text, and click on the "Read Me" button below that links to a relevant article, to learn more about today's college and career readiness standards.
In this module you will learn more about the skills that colleges and employers expect from applicants, and how digital citizenship education can help them develop those skills. Read the text, and click on the "Read Me" button below that links to a relevant article, to learn more about today's college and career readiness standards.
College
With college admissions counselors regularly researching their applicants on the Internet, students are at a disadvantage if they don't have more than just a social media presence online. If students want colleges to see the "complete picture," then examples of their best academic work should also be part of their digital footprint.
Source: Alan Katzman @Social Assurity
Colleges also recognize that students need to arrive with the technology skills necessary to research, analyze the validity of the information they find, access online course materials, and collaborate digitally. According to Dr. Joanna Goode of the University of Oregon's College of Education, "...high school opportunities around technology really shape students' abilities to engage fully in university academic life." Students who arrive without these skills are often unprepared for the demands of college courses.
Additionally colleges are increasingly expressing frustration that students arrive unable to balance their tech use, and a recent study published in the Journal of Media Education shows that college students are more distracted than ever during class. For many students, college is the first time that they have been allowed to use a device in the classroom, and many find themselves unable to balance the tools with the distractions that technology offers.
Associate Professor Barney McCoy, who teaches multimedia and news courses at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, authored the study. According to McCoy, students "need to learn more effective self-control techniques to keep them focused on the learning at hand." But he also notes that instructors could "benefit from learning and experimenting with new ways to engage college students in classroom activities."
If students are to go to college knowing how to successfully manage their tech use, they need to leave high school having already practiced these skills.
Career
Employers are expecting that potential employees have a positive online presence as well – one that demonstrates their skills and abilities, includes samples of work they've done, and a digital resume, at a minimum – before they hire them.
In a 2014 survey of recruiters, 93% of recruiters indicated that they review a candidate's social profile before making a hiring decision. According to the Wharton School of Business the practice of Googling job candidates is expanding, not just in frequency, but in purpose:
In a 2014 survey of recruiters, 93% of recruiters indicated that they review a candidate's social profile before making a hiring decision. According to the Wharton School of Business the practice of Googling job candidates is expanding, not just in frequency, but in purpose:
"For job seekers, the persuasive cover letter and germane resume have long been the way to get a foot in the door, and more recently, HR directors will rummage through Google to make sure nothing negative turns up. But now, the extent to which individuals have established a strong and compelling online presence is having an impact on who gets the interview and job. Actively building a digital footprint that proves presence in a professional community and expertise in the field is increasingly important." –Knowledge@Wharton
Additionally, most employers expect that college graduates should be self-directed learners in the modern tech-rich workforce. This means they must have a solid understanding of how technology can help them access the information and people they will learn from, and how technology improves workflow, productivity, and collaboration. They must also be willing to use that technology creatively to innovate and iterate in order to solve problems.
Bentley University Survey of Business Decision-Makers (2014)
Source: Bentley University, The PreparedU Project: An In-Depth Look at Millennial Preparedness for Today's Workforce. 2014.
Unfortunately, recent studies indicate that employers find new college grads to be unprepared in the most essential workplace skills, even though college students rated themselves far more capable. Knowing how to effectively leverage technology to help locate and analyze information, solve complex problems, create and innovate, and collaborate with team members is an essential workplace skill across almost all industries.
American Association of Colleges & Universities (2015)
Percentage of surveyed students & employers who say that they/college grads are prepared in each essential workplace skill.
Source: Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success. 2014.
The Google Form below will help you reflect on how digital citizenship education might help prepare students for college and career success. Be sure you are signed into your St. John's Prep Google account in order to complete the form.
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