The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

I recently had a chance to look at the website for The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. This is an organization that has made it their mission to inform schools on the importance of incorporating 21st century skills in the k-12 classroom. The skills they find most important are ones that I believe students should know. The use of technology is a skill they will need to know when they are ready for the workforce. The site is easy to navigate and provides resources and tools to start using these skills in your classroom. From what I have read, I like what I saw. By bringing together the education world, business communities, and policy makers we are all working together to ensure our students are prepared for the digital world.

What first initially surprised me about the site was the amount of computer companies that are apart of the organization. My critical side reared its head and I started to think maybe this is just another way for the large corporations to make money by getting their products into our schools. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made---who better to be apart of the movement than the companies making and promoting the newest technologies? I was also surprised about the effects this movement would have on our economy. When our students are brought up with the necessary skills to succeed in the business world, we are keeping up with our global competitors and ensuring jobs.

I didn't disagree with anything on this site. Their beliefs are very similar to my own. I see the need of integrating 21st century skills into the classroom. Preparing students for the workforce is a part of educating them.

This website is a great tool for teachers who see the importance of incorporating technology into their classrooms. The implecations of doing so, promote student growth in 21st century skills and prepare them for our ever-changing digital society and work force. This site is also a great tool to encourage fellow teachers to begin using technology in their classrooms.

Using a blog in my classroom

As a second grade teacher, most of my students are still learning to read and write - let alone use technology indepedently. I began to throw around some ideas on how to incorporate blogs in the classroom.

The first is simply a communication tool between parents and teacher. I work at a school with very active and vocal parents. They like to stay informed at all times. They also like to have input in the classroom. At my school we are required to send home a friday newsletter each week to inform parents of upcoming events, homework for the following week, and any other classroom news parents should know about. Many times, teachers are rushed on Fridays to get it copied and send it home by the afternoon. Our administration has discussed plans of going "green" and requiring teachers to have a website instead of a newsletter. My idea is to use a blog instead of a newsletter or a website. I can post students work, classroom news, homework, and articles I found interesting for parents to read. The blog is unique because parents have the opportunity to respond, ask questions, and give ideas. The communication lines are now open as compared to the past where I may get five emails asking the same question about a school event or homework assignment.
I can eventually see myself posting podcasts of students reading their published pieces, and sharing videos of science experiments.

If I were teaching an upper elementary grade, I might consider using a blog for reading workshop. Now, students respond to literature in the form of letters to the teacher. How great would it be to have students respond to each other through a blog? Students could ask questions, give comments, and encourage critical thinking.

These are just my first initial thoughts for a blog. Right now, they are just ways for "doing things differently" instead of "doing different things". I hope as I get more comfortable with blogs and wikis, I will come up with more ways of incorporating them into my classroom.

Welcome!

I hope this blog sparks some educational conversations about integrating technology into the classroom. I look forward to discussing new ideas and learning from fellow educators.