School districts across the globe are increasingly becoming aware of the need to equip students with the necessary 21st century skills<\/span><\/a> they need to become future ready.\u00a0<\/span> Students are usually in one of two camps as they enter middle school. They either have a general idea of what career path they would like to pursue or they may be aware they have certain skills they enjoy using but have no idea how these skills could be utilized in a future profession.\u00a0<\/span> Before the students can even begin to use a future planning program, teachers must utilize it in the classroom on a consistent basis.\u00a0<\/span> There is something special that happens in a classroom when a respected guest speaker is brought in.\u00a0<\/span> In addition to the guest speakers routinely making appearances in the classroom, it would be a great idea to also have these professionals mentor the students in their respective fields.\u00a0<\/span> Parents and the community often expect schools to prepare students for college, rather than for future careers.\u00a0<\/span> Not all career planning tools are created equal. Make sure you do your research to <\/span>assess the right program for your district<\/span><\/a> before you decide to introduce it to educators and students.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThis is partly because many students are becoming increasingly discouraged with what they perceive is a disconnect between what they learn in school and \u201creal life.\u201d<\/span>
\nAccording to a <\/span>2016 YouthTruth survey<\/span><\/a> of 55,000 high school students, only half reported feeling that their high schools have prepared them with the knowledge and skills they need for college. Many students struggle to transition from blindly following lessons in high school to being asked to think critically in college because they haven\u2019t built this skill.<\/span>
\nTo motivate students to take an interest in learning, many school districts are purchasing EdTech software to get students excited about their future planning and career goals.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThis ensures that students <\/span>feel <\/span><\/i>that their education connects them to real world challenges. After all, many kids are engaged in learning when they can see <\/span>how <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>where<\/span><\/i> they\u2019ll apply it.\u00a0<\/span>
\nBut is purchasing an EdTech tool always the right answer? According to a <\/span>recent study<\/span>, about 67 percent of all educational software never gets deployed in the classroom.\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf districts are investing in future planning software, they need to ensure the software is truly engaging to both educators and students.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nHere are a few tips to help you ensure your EdTech software investment does not go to waste!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n1. Introduce Career Planning Early<\/b><\/h3>\n
\nIn order to make students self aware of what their skills and interests are, it\u2019s imperative to introduce career planning concepts as early as possible.\u00a0<\/span>
\nA <\/span>study by Brown University<\/span><\/a> found that habits can take root as early as age 9. With that in mind, the earlier educators introduce 21st-century concepts, the better.<\/span>
\nBy introducing future planning software to students early on in school, when they are just beginning to think about their career options, teachers can keep students engaged and motivated.\u00a0<\/span>
\nEdTech software programs, such as <\/span>Xello<\/span><\/a>, can pinpoint students in the direction of certain careers they may be interested in based on their likes and dislikes.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStudents can also complete interactive career, personality, and learning style assessments to help them better understand their unique interests, skills, and strengths.\u00a0<\/span>
\nEach engaging assessment encourages reflection, helping students connect who they are with relevant career options.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStudents can also explore hundreds of career and college options that align with their assessment results.\u00a0<\/span>
\nPrograms like Xello give students access to real-world interviews with people in their fields of interest, providing an authentic glimpse into their future and the critical knowledge to make informed decisions and plans.<\/span>
\nWith Xello, you can start students on their future-readiness journey as early as kindergarten.<\/span><\/p>\n2. Get Educators on Board<\/b><\/h3>\n
\nChange is never easy for educators to accept so it\u2019s pertinent to get them on board as early as possible. Show them examples of other districts that have deployed similar software successfully.\u00a0<\/span>
\nPut their minds at ease by letting them know that they will be provided with training on the new software before it\u2019s implemented.\u00a0<\/span>
\nTalk to educators about the importance of using the latest technology to appeal to students.\u00a0<\/span>
\nExplain to them that the smart way to combat 21st-century challenges of engaging students is to use a 21st-century solution. Since technology is practically woven into the DNA of Generation Z, an online future readiness program is almost a no-brainer.<\/span>
\nOnce educators are on board and excited about using the future planning software, they are more likely to help students engage with the program as well.\u00a0<\/span>
\nIt all begins with the teachers and getting them to commit to the program as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n3. Bring in Special Guest Speakers<\/b><\/h3>\n
\nThe students pay much more attention than they usually do. They sit on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what the speaker has to say.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe excitement in the eyes of students, particularly when the speaker is a celebrity such as a News Anchor or a TV show host, is a blessed sight for teachers to witness.\u00a0<\/span>
\nTo get students engaged and excited about future planning, try to create a monthly or weekly guest speaker series.<\/span>
\nYou could ask parents to partake in the program or reach out to members in the community, asking them to dedicate an hour each week or each month to come into the classroom and educate students about their respective profession.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStudents should be encouraged to ask the speaker questions so that they\u2019re engaged throughout the discussion.\u00a0<\/span>
\nYou can even ask students for feedback each week on who they\u2019d like to invite or which professions they\u2019re most interested in learning more about so that you seek out speakers according to student interest.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThis guest speaker series can significantly increase student participation and motivation to learn more in school.\u00a0<\/span>
\nAfter all, it is one thing for a student to say that they\u2019re interested in becoming a doctor or a computer programmer, but it is quite another for them to get to know someone who\u2019s actually in their dream profession and can give them a first hand account of what their day-to-day looks like.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n4. Provide Internships or Job Shadowing Opportunities\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
\nEducators should work with the guest speakers to ask if their companies would be interested in partnering with the school to create an internship or job shadowing program.\u00a0<\/span>
\nJob shadowing<\/span><\/a> allows students to gain a solid understanding of what an employee, such as a nurse, does in a particular job every day.\u00a0<\/span>
\nStudents will be able to see what skills are required every day in their dream professions. It can help allay a student\u2019s fear of the unknown.\u00a0<\/span>
\nAlternatively, it can also be an eye opening experience in terms of enlightening students to aspects of the job they may find unappealing so that they\u2019re able to reassess whether it\u2019s the right career choice for them or not.\u00a0<\/span>
\nBy providing internship or job shadowing opportunities with actual organizations, students will feel their schools are connecting them to their future and helping them become future ready.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n5. Cater to All Student Types: Those Who Are College-Bound and Those Who Are Not<\/b><\/h3>\n
\nAccording to a recent article by <\/span>Education Week<\/span><\/a>, parents mistakenly \u201csee career preparation in K-12, as well as career and technical education, as a second-tier option for students who are not college ready. In fact, 42 percent of educators surveyed cited the perception that schools are supposed to get students ready for college\u2014not work\u2014as one of the biggest barriers to offering curricula to address the skills students will need for the jobs of the future.\u201d<\/span>
\nThe fact of the matter is, not every student wants to go to college. There are numerous reasons why.\u00a0<\/span>
\nSome students may not have the requisite grades or they may not be able to afford tens of thousands of dollars of student fees. Many students may already be willing and able to join the workforce.\u00a0<\/span>
\nMany high school students, earning certificates and credentials in certain career fields can make just as much, if not more, than those graduating with a bachelor\u2019s degree from college.\u00a0<\/span>
\nNowadays, there are a variety of occupations available for students to pursue straight out of high school.<\/span>
\nBy implementing future planning software in your schools, you can keep those students who aren\u2019t college bound, engaged and excited about future planning as well.<\/span><\/p>\n6. Find the Right Future Planning Software Program<\/b><\/h3>\n
\nThere are many EdTech implementations within school districts that fail because the user interface is too difficult to manage for either the teacher, students, or both.\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf it is too challenging for a middle school student to navigate or if the user experience fails to engage students, then it\u2019s not the right software for your school.<\/span>
\nAnd as most schools within a district will want to continue using the same future planning software program, it should be engaging for students of all ages.\u00a0<\/span>
\nAccording to a recent article by <\/span>Education Week<\/span><\/a>, high school students believe that while their schools are preparing them for college, their classes are not preparing them for the world of work.\u00a0<\/span>
\nIt is thus, imperative, that when you decide to implement a future readiness tool within your district, you ensure the solution is helping students prepare for the world of work.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe right future planning software program will not only help determine what skills and abilities a student has as well as their likes and dislikes, but will also open their eyes to the many possible career paths they didn\u2019t even know they could pursue.\u00a0<\/span>
\nWith the right EdTech software, you are sure to keep students engaged and excited about future planning. So choose wisely. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"