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1.       “Applied skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, and communication; the survey also found though that too many new entrants to the workforce are not adequately prepared in these important skills.”

                This problem that I found in the article is one that really needs to be changed.  They are huge, essential parts to having a business be successful.  If I were an educator and I had to address these issues and fix them I would incorporate a project that would cover all 3 issues.  I would have students work together as a team where each student was required to present their own part of the project.  I would give some direction but I would have them try to think and figure out where they would find their material to present. 

                As an employer I would recommend that all new hires take an onsite “team building seminar”.  This would be constructed by an employee from human resources and it would help all incoming employees understand the importance of working to together in communicating for a company to become successful.  The seminar would be held every year so that employees can brush up or improve on their skills and become a better worker in their company.

                 

2.        “Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of incoming high school graduates are viewed as deficient in basic English writing skills”

                Writing skills I feel is lacking due to the 21^st century of computers.  All computers tell us how to spell something correctly or if a sentence needs to be fragmented.  Students just click on the correct word and move on without learning how to spell that work they missed.  If I were noticing that my students were lacking in Basic English writing skills I would make a rough draft requirement for all essay type assignments.  I would have all students write out their assignments by hand before they could type it.  I would review their work and show that there are changes that need to be made.  I would have them look up words in the dictionary, fix any fragmented sentences, and have a peer proof read their work before handing in a “final rough draft”.                

                If I were an employer, I would talk to HR about employee development.  I would have all new hires take a college level course that focuses on writing and writing skills, comprehension, and critical thinking skills.  Since it would be a requirement for all new hires no one would feel singled out and all new hires would be either brushing up on old skills or learning new ones that would help them become successful in their new career.    

3.       “Concerned about the tech skills of the future workforce also emphasize the importance of information and communication technology literacy”

                A large issue today with technology in schools is that it is rarely taught.  The basics maybe taught but there are hardly any classes that go beyond just basic use.  Since today’s teachers are mostly older, they have trouble incorporating technology into their classrooms.  They do not know how to use it and frankly a lot feel that they have taught their way for many years so why change anything now.  They NEED to change it now because the world around them is changing.  Technology is everywhere and with the students now being known as “digital natives” students are expecting to have technology in their classes.  Students, I feel, learn better if there is technology involved.  They are more engaged and focused on what is being taught and they are getting a better understanding of the material because they are being taught in a way they are comfortable with.  Teaching today is not lecture and note taking; instead it is using new technology tools and having the student interact with the same technology.  Since teachers will not change their ways a lot of students are not getting the proper knowledge about computers, their software, and how to use it all in a proper manner.  So when a student is job searching out of high school and you need knowledge of some type of technology than that student is pretty low on the hire page due to his or her lack of technology savvy. 

               

4.       "Most teachers have gotten to the point where they tolerate technology, but they're not exactly sure where and how to use which technology to its best effect," Fadel says.

                It is a positive thing to know that teachers now are “tolerating” technology.  Before it would be their way or the highway type of attitude when it came to technology in the classrooms but if they are unsure where to take technology next then that is where the problem lies.  Tolerating and actually using are two totally different things.  What good is technology if the educator is unable to use it effectively to help their students learn?  I feel that there should be classes or workshops throughout all schools in all states that teach the educators how to properly use technology in their classroom.  They need to be taught how to operate the equipment correctly, how to use it for assignments, and really how to make it beneficial for the students to learn.  If all teachers understand how to use technology in their classes than their classes would be a much better place for our “digital natives” to learn.