The Parntnership for the 21st Century

This week I explored The Partnership for the 21st Century Skills website (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php).
I have found that it offers a wealth of information. It is a very user friendly site that allows the navigator to work with ease. I was excited to see that they provide a list for school districts to foster training and professional development. I think often times school systems say they want to prepare their students to be successful out in the world and this would be one way to train the teachers to be effective in this quest.

I was surprised that there are not many states that have signed on board for this mission, mine included. Although Georgia is not a shock to me (we are usually the last to catch on to things, the lack of California was a surprise. Often times many things that out county and state adopt has first been adopted by California. I was also surprised that these skills were mentioned along with the No Child Left Behind Act. Often times this piece of legislature is viewed as curriculum being the sole goal and I was interested to see that you are able to tie in the 21st Century life skills along with the curriculum. I think it shows that you can still be held accountable while teaching important skills for success.

I plan on implicating this in the classroom by using some of the ideas expressed under the tools and resources. It provides websites that tie in the curriculum and the skills it touches on for success in the future. I feel that if I am able to incorporate the 21st century skills into my lessons, then my students will gain not only knowledge to help them currently but also knowledge to help them in the future.

Making Blogs Useful

I reflected this week on how I could integrate the use of a blog in my classroom. I teach first graders, so more than likely they have had little exposure to blogs. I think that a more appropriate approach to a blog for this age group would be a direct way to talk to parents. This blog could show what we are doing in the classroom, as well as work the student have created. I think that the parents would greatly appreciate this contact and enjoy seeing their students work. Also, this could be a helpful tool for parents to see how they could help their students at home.

Also, another use I thought for blogging could perhaps take place after first of the year. My students usually have a pen pal program set up with students in another state. With a lot of instructional help from myself, I feel that we could set this up as a blog page with the class we pen pal with.

These are just a few ideas I have for blogging. I am interested to hear from others about ideas for blogging with younger students, so please feel free to comment!

Hello Everyone! I created this blog to have an open forum to discuss educational issues with a focus on the importance technology can play when used in the classroom. I look forward to creating interesting conversations.