Perusing the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website

I recently checked out the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Website. I actually did it as a requirment in a college class assignment.  It was well worth my time and I feel that anyone who is interested in pushing for 21st Century Skills in education should use this site to educate theirself.

“About the Partnership for 21st Century Skills: P21 is a national organization that advocates for 21st century readiness for every student. As the United States continues to compete in a global economy that demands innovation, P21 and its members provide tools and resources to help the U.S. education system keep up by fusing the three Rs and four Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity and innovation). While leading districts and schools are already doing this, P21 advocates for local, state and federal policies that support this approach for every school.” 

While perusing the site, I found articles that touch on current issues. New information that I found regarding the 3 R’s and 4 C’s was helpful in developing new understanding of issues surrounding the 21^st Century skills. My favorite thing about the website  that I found helpful, fun, and inspiring were videos that are easily accessible, and explain what 21^st Century readiness looks like. I took the liberty of taking my favorite quotes off of one of them to share with you. This video is called Tomizawa, and although it was only given a 3 star rating (which I would have to disagree with), I would highly recommend it to any teacher who wants to be inspired. 

“Every classroom teacher begins with a captive audience, but effective teaching is about captivating that audience….A captive audience is short on patience, but a captivated audience wants more after the bell has rung.” –Tomizawa

Check it out for yourself by following this link: http://www.p21.org/

Blogging in classrooms

When considering whether or not blogs can be a benefit to the classroom, I would guess that it is probably a controversial topic.  I believe that if managed well, a district could improve parent involvement and communication. Students could colaborate on projects outside of the school day. Among many more benefits,they could be used for motivation and celebrations.

If I ever am allowed to have a classroom blog, I can see that comments will need to be consistently reviewed and approved before comments are posted to the world.

Is there anyone who would like to comment on thier experiences or ideas? 

Where to start?

I am one of those people who always got away with not using powerpoints, excel, and instant messenger.  I was not raised with a computer, but have always been pretty proud of my typing skills.  For me, that was enough to get by. When I became a teacher 2 years ago, I realized that this was going to have to change.  My students didn't have access to computers because there was no one to teach them how to use them, other than for testing.  Hmmm...how will they ever be prepared for the global society if they do not learn necessary skills at school?  I am currently taking a masters course that will educate me in technology uses and strategies to use within my classroom.  This is the first post of many that will deal with the trials and tribulations along the adventurous journey into the world of technology.  Wish me luck!