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Guided Response: Respond to at least two peers. In responses, evaluate how your understanding of 21st-century skills, UDL and career and technical education is either in concert with or contrasts from the discussion presented by your peers. Paying close attention to the evaluation they presented on how UDL can be incorporated to support career and technology education.  

Analyze in a paragraph Career and Technical Education (CTE) by giving a succinct summary of your understanding of this area of education.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) are classes that take place within a school that allow students to learn and become specialized in a field or trade that will benefit him or her after he or she get out of school. These classes can be trade classes such as mechanical or they can be cosmetology or even in the medical field. These programs are designed to help students who may not want to go onto higher education and give those students an opportunity to learn about an industry or field that he or she may want to go into. Many students do not want to continue on after high school so CTE is important in educating students about different jobs and giving those students the tools to continue on into one of those areas.

Evaluate in a paragraph how the principles of UDL support career and technical education.

UDL supports career and technical education by allowing students to learn in a way that best suits him or her. UDL gives different learners different ways to learn in a way that is tailored to his or her needs. The UDL principles support CTE by allowing students with different interests than other students to find a career that best suits him or her. Students are allowed to choose from a variety of different options to pick a class that best fits what he or she wants to do. This allows students who are hands on to learn in a different way rather than from a textbook. It allows on the job experience to students and gives the students a path to entering a career that is for him or her. 

Summarize in a paragraph the relationship between the goals of CTE, learner motivation, and acquisition of 21st-century skills.

21st century skills is incorporated into CTE by giving flexibility to learners to pursue other areas of interest than just college. It allows students to think critically and to collaborate with one another in his or her field of interest. This allows students to continue on a path to a career beyond once he or she have graduated. The goal of CTE is to help students by giving him or her opportunities along with giving him or her lifelong skills that to help them succeed in their careers. This motivates learners by keeping their interest in what is being taught and allowing students the opportunity to choose what interests him or her without them being placed in required courses that the student sees no value in. 

Describe in a paragraph, or by using a table or some other visual, what you learned by reviewing your state’s Department of Education webpage on CTE and/or your local school district’s utilization of CTE.

In our school district students are able to shadow the field that he or she are interested in, do internships, apprenticeships, or co-ops. Our district also has a technology center where students can go and learn about different trades and get the hands-on experience that he or she need. Students are able to gain experience in the field and also continue on after high school with careers in whatever field he or she are learning about. I personally really like this because many students are not able to or do not want to continue on to a higher education. Students for example who are interested in nursing and want to continue on are able to complete a CNA. I think that this is great for students who are interested in a specific field and do not have to worry about getting the experience after graduation. These students are able to have the experience and knowledge in a certain field that he or she are interested in and be able to secure full employment after graduation. 

Resources

Inclusive technologies: Tools for helping diverse learners achieve academic success [Electronic Version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Inside Schools. (2011, November 29). High School: What is Career and Technical Education? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/3pVDGCuRWsQ

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a different approach to education than is seen within some communities. The premise is for students to learn a trade while completing their high school graduation requirements. Students can go to high school and complete all academics needed for graduation, while at the same time earning a trade license or experience that can lead to a joh immdiidaltey after high school. The CTE schooling used to be known as trade schools. Some programs that are seen at trade schools include cosmetology, nurse assistant, mechanic, carpenter, welder, floral design and many more.

UDL is supported in the CTE model education as it attempts to drive everyone towards success. The UDL model is designed to accommodate everyone, not just students planning to go to college. Students will learn their own learning styles that in turn can be very useful in a trade environment. Humans learn something new everyday. No matter what your job is, you will always need to be a learner and UDL will assist everyone in this ideal.

CTE is supportive of the 21st century students as it is widely adaptive and diverse. In the video, we see students working on laptops doing a graphic design project. The 21st century workforce will have a heavy technological dependence and students who have the knowledge and experience in technology will be the leaders in our workforce, especially in design type trades.

I went to a regular Texas high school that was piloting a district wide program to add in courses that could lead to a trade. I was ahead on credits, so I decided it would be rewarding to take cosmetology. I did not have the intention of pursuing this after high school, but many of my classmates did. I find it very interesting that I not as a teacher make around the same monthly amount as my previous classmates who went straight into doing hair instead of college. The district still does the program ten years later as it found great success with many students becoming financially successful after high school because of their learned trade. Texas as a whole is very driven towards giving students options whether it is college or a trade career.

https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Certification/Career_and_Technical_Education_(CTE)/Career_and_Technical_Education_Information/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Inside Schools. (2011, November 29).High School: What is Career and Technical Education? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.[Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/3pVDGCuRWsQ

Association for Career and Technical Education. (n.d.). What is CTE? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Retrieved from http://www.acteonline.org/general.aspx?id=120#.VQsKho7F98o