Route 21

I have spent some time this morning exploring Route 21, "a one-stop-shop for 21st century skills-related information, resources and community tools." Specifically, the program focuses on three main components of 21st century skills: life and career skills, learning and innovation skills, and information, media, and technology skills. The site provides "support systems" -- information on standards and assessments -- as well as browse-able resources.

I am excited about the possibilities of using this tool to demonstrate the effectiveness and relevance of 21st century skills instruction in the library (or just in schools in general). Obviously, my focus is on the third component of the framework -- "Information, Media, and Technology Skills." With just a few minutes exploring, I had already found a wonderful set of standards and objectives from the West Virginia Department of Education -- proof that states' education departments are seeing the importance of 21st century skills!