Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Without a doubt, as we progress into the 21st century, the technological advances being made are changing the way we live, communicate, learn and teach. The implications that new technologies have on the way we teach is being recogized and there are many publications and websites that address 21 century skills. The website, Partnership for 21st Century Skills http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ is a great resource for educators who want to stay on the "cutting edge" of applying 21st century skills in the classroom. As described on the site, 21st century skills include: information and communication skills, thinking and problem solving, interpersonal and self direction skills, global awareness, financial, economic and business literacy, entrepreneurial skills and civic literacy.

For teachers who are new to the concept of 21st century skills, this site offers a plethora of information that can serve as a great resource. One resource that I found particularly useful was the Framework for 21st Century Learning. The framework outlines the specific skills that students should be taught in the 21 century. In addition, teachers can access links to sites that promote these skills, that are specific to their content areas. In addition, Route 21, an online database on the site, allows users to browse resources by support system, skill or knowledge.

One thing that surprised me as I browsed this site is that it only features state initiatives for 13 states. It is surprising less than 15% of the states in our country have developed iniatives to address 21st century skills. Especially considering the fact that we want our students to be able to compete globally. I hope that my own state, Connecticut, follows in the steps of states that have already established initiatives to teach these skills.

I think that this site has many implications for educators and students alike. First, it serves as a great resource for educators to share and access information about 21st century skills. However, districts must recognize the need to incorporate these skills into the curriculum. Many districts are so focused on making AYP (especially low performing districs) that they lose site of focusing on skills that our students will need to succeed and compete nationally and globally in the 21st century. As the world changes, we must change our pedagogy to reflect the new skills that our students need to learn. As a contemporary educator, I recognize the fact that the way that I was taught, and what I was taught a few decades ago, does not always apply to todays classroom. There are so many new innovations in our world and many media sources constantly refer to the fact that the world is becoming "flatter". With the world wide web and all that it has to offer, it is surprising that so many schools, including my own, has not made technology integration a priority. As I work 21st century skills into my own teaching, I will absolutely use this site as a way to obtain up to date information and resources.

Utililizing Weblogs as an Intructional Tool

As educators, it is imperative that we incorporate technology into our instruction. The world wide web provides a wealth of information and allows us to teach in ways that were not possible a few decades ago. As we continue through the "information age" we must shift our teaching practices to reflect the new demands that technology places on society in the twenty-first century and beyond. When used properly, technology allows us to teach in new and innovative ways. Blogging is a great example of incorporating technology to produce meaningful learning experiences.



As an 8th grade social studies teacher, I am excited about incorporating blogging into my classroom. While the majority of my students have experienced blogging on social networking sites such as MySpace, they have not been introduced to the idea of blogging as a learning tool. My classroom blog will serve two distinct purposes. First, it will serve as a class portal containing important course information such as homework assignments, study guides rubrics and supplemental resources. This will undoubtedly help me to better manage course information and make materials more accessible. A class portal will also serve as a communication tool for parents; they can visit the site at any time to gain information about what we are studying in class and assignment due dates. Additionally, my classroom blog would be utilized as a platform for discussion and the sharing of ideas. It will be a collaborative space that would will for meaningful interaction related to social studies content. Students will be able to learn from one another via online discussion postings. For instance, all lessons in my class are developed around essential questions. A question is essential when it,


1. Causes genuine and relevant inquiry into the big ideas and core content;
2. Provokes deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, and new understanding as well as more questions;
3. Requires students to consider alternatives, weigh evidence, support their ideas, and justify their answers;
4. Stimulates vital, on-going rethinking of big ideas, assumptions, and prior lessons;
5. Sparks meaningful connections with prior learning and personal experiences;
naturally recurs, creating opportunities for transfer to other situations and subjects (Wiggins, 2007)



Examples of questions that I will post on my classroom blog that are aligned to my content are, "How do different societies impact each other?" and "What are the ideals of liberty and freedom?". Students will be expected to post a response to the essential question and respond to the postings of their classmates. The essential question will be posted before we begin the lesson so that students can activate their prior knowledge. As students learn through their classroom instruction, they will be prompted to revisit the blog and post their new understandings. Creating an opportunity for an ongoing dialogue will create an opportunity for all students to participate. The archived information on the blog will allow students to track their growth in content knowledge and understandings.





Weblogs can enhance the teaching of social studies content in many ways. Students have an expanded opportunity to learn about the topic/ area of study. Supplemental resources and links to websites that provide additional information to support the lesson will reinforce and enhance student learning. For instance, when teaching my class about the American Revolution, I will post links to primary sources and websites that support what I am teaching in class. I will be able to address various learning styles by including song clips and pictures of the American Revolution, as well as timelines, maps, and various primary source documents. Additionally, allowing for meaningful interaction via discussion postings will allow students to learn from one another and gain a deeper understanding of the content by examining alternating perspectives.



One of the benefits of blogging is that students who might be shy during class, will have the opportunity to express themselves via their blog postings. This will allow for maximum student participation and the sharing of ideas. Additionally, students will realize early on that the writing that they generate on the blog, has an audience. Not only will I read their work, but their classmates, parents and the entire world will have access to their work. I believe that this will motivate students to put more effort into their writing than they normally would. Additionally, students need essential skills such as research, organization and synthesis of ideas (Richardson, 2009) to be successful in the twenty-first century. Without a doubt, technology is changing the way that we teach and learn. Blogging is a true example of how learning will evolve during the information age.

References:

Richardson, W. (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms( 2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Wiggins, G. (2007). Big Ideas. What is an Essential Question. Authentic Education

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