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gives good insight into the skills needed in the 21st century.

Students immersed in authentic learning activities cultivate the kinds of "portable skills" that newcomers to any discipline have the most difficulty acquiring on their own: * The judgment to distinguish reliable from unreliable information * The patience to follow longer arguments * The synthetic ability to recognize relevant patterns in unfamiliar contexts * The flexibility to work across disciplinary and cultural boundaries to generate innovative solutions Learning researchers have distilled the essence of the authentic learning experience down to 10 design elements, providing educators with a useful checklist that can be adapted to anysubject matter domain.1.  Real-world relevance: Authentic activities match the real-world tasks of professionals in practice as nearly as possible. Learning rises to the level of authenticity when it asks students to work actively with abstract concepts, facts, and formulae inside a realistic-and highly social-context mimicking "the ordinary practices of the [disciplinary] culture."2.  Ill-defined problem: Challenges cannot be solved easily by the application of an existing algorithm; instead, authentic activities are relatively undefined and open to multiple interpretations, requiring students to identify for themselves the tasks and subtasks needed to complete the major task. 3.  Sustained investigation: Problems cannot be solved in a matter of minutes or even hours. Instead, authentic activities comprise complex tasks to be investigated by students over a sustained period of time, requiring significant investment of time and intellectual resources. 4.  Multiple sources and perspectives: Learners are not given a list of resources. Authentic activities provide the opportunity for students to examine the task from a variety of theoretical and practical perspectives, using a variety of resources, and requires students to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information in the process. 5.  Collabora

! Basic, Scientific, and Technological Literacies As society changes, the skills that citizens need to negotiate the complexities of life also change. In the early 1900s, a person who had acquired simple reading, writing, and calculating skills was considered literate. It has only been in recent years that the public education system has expected all students to learn to read critically, write persuasively, think and reason logically, and solve complex problems in mathematics and science. ! Visual and Information Literacy The graphic user interface of the World Wide Web and the convergence of voice, video, and data into a common digital format have increased the use of visual imagery dramatically. Advances such as digital cameras, graphics packages, streaming video, and common imagery standards,allow for the use visual imagery to communicate ideas. Students need good visualization skills to be able to decipher, interpret, detect patterns, and communicate using imagery. Information Literacy includes accessing information efficiently and effectively, evaluating information critically and competently, and using information accurately and creatively. ! Cultural Literacy and Global Awareness The world is rapidly becoming wired and the resulting globalization of commerce and trade has increased the need for cultural literacy. In such a global economy, with the U.S. concerned about interactions, partnerships and competition from around the world, there is a greater necessity for knowing, understanding and appreciating other cultures, including cultural formations established as norms in a technological society, such as virtual realities. ! Adaptability/Managing Complexity and Self-Direction The interconnectedness of today's world brings with it unprecedented complexity. Globalization and the Web are inherently complex, accelerating the pace of change in today's world. Interaction in such an environment requires individuals to be a

Summarizes six key elements schools should focus on when preparing students for the 21st century.

Author doesn't think 21st century skills are necessary

How are millions of students still struggling to acquire 19th-century skills Pros and Cons of "21st Century Skills" 

An article about the meaning for why 21st century skills are crucial and relevant.

Interesting opinions on what is needed for the 21st Century

Critical Thinking Creativity Knowledge of Technology

Second heading "What Will it Take" is very informative and thoughtful :)

Talks about "survival skills" we need to have for the 21st Century