Guided Question #3

Now that I have been in my externship for a few weeks and experienced a lot of the day to day operations within my department I have realized that my many of my students are not prepared for the real world.  I try to envision them working on some of these projects and unfortunately I know some of my students would struggle.  They wouldn't necessarily struggle because of the actual math content, anyone can be taught that, they would struggle with critically thinking and engaging in true mental activity.  I don't blame them, I blame myself and the education system as a whole.  I need to put down the spoon and start getting them to think!
When addressing the 21st Century Skills needed, the two that would be essential for someone working in my position at Clipper Wind are "Employability" and "Technology Literacy".  To be successful here it is essential to have the ability to work productively in teams, communicate effectively, think innovatively and solve problems creatively.  My favorite moments here so far are when a few people in my department gather at the whiteboard to brainstorm a problem one of us is working on.  They recognize the importance of bouncing ideas off other people and collaboration.  Here are some results of a couple of these "gathering of the minds" to help each other solve various problems:

Notice all the math involved!  I took these pictures to help answer the question "When are we ever going to need this?" (By the way I did get the OK to take pictures of this) Students would also need Technology Literacy in a job like this one.  The department I work in uses various software programs to model and simulate various data within a wind turbine.  They identify trends and forecast possibilities to help reduce down-time-between-faults. 
I've already learned a lot from this experience, but so far the most important thing I'll take with me is the drive to help prepare students for the working world.  I work with some very intelligent people here who amaze me with their creativity and ability to think critically and I want my students to be able to do the same.