What Does it Mean to Get Students College and Career Ready?

Everywhere we go we hear all about getting our students college and career ready, but what does it really mean? If we want our students to be successful and prepared for the future we need to ensure that they are equipped with the skills and mindset that will keep them on the right path.  

More and more universities are moving to online instruction, which means our students NEED to know and understand the concept of completing and turning in digital work and assignments, communicating and collaborating with others, and mastering the task of critical thinking.  Google Classroom, one of our Google Apps for Education, is great way to help our students to gain these skills as well as allow our classrooms to go paperless.  

• Teachers can create assignments in Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms or Drawing, assign them through Google Classroom, without ever going to the copy machine.  When assignments are created, the teacher will have the option of giving all students view access to ONE document, giving edit access to ONE document, or creating a copy of the document for EACH student.  
• Students can share documents with one another, allowing for full collaboration and communication within their group when using the Google Ecosystem.
• Using the application of Forms, Sheets or Slides, students can actually CREATE original products that incorporate critical thinking skills and the highest two levels of the Webb’s Depth of Knowledge scale.

Mastery of digital skills is not enough to confirm success for the future; students must have the right mindset and work ethic in order to flourish.

What is the right mindset?  I am glad you asked.  Students need to be taught resilience and the true meaning of hard work.

• Students need to understand that it is alright to fail, and that failure can actually help us learn better and deeper.
• Perseverance is necessary to discover right answers.  Problem-solving and critical thinking skills are sharpened and refined when students refuse to give up on a problem set before them.
• Most of the time, the easy way should not be taken.  Success can only be truly measured by the amount of work that has gone into it.  In other words, Hard Work Pays Off.

When students are equipped with the right digital skills and focus for learning, they will be successful at any university or future career that lies ahead of them, so let’s do our part and prepare them NOW!