21st Century Classroom

As we move further and further into an age where computers can perform more and more of our jobs, providing students with skills that will help them to be successful in the changing job market is essential. The 21st century job market requires relies on two types of skills: expert thinking and complex communication (Levy & Murnane, 2006).

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) web site, http://www.21stcenturyskills.org, contains information about the need for change in education. According to the site, one of their goals is to "provide educational leaders with tools, examples, and a strategy for action, not more rhetoric." One of the tools available from P21 is a Skills Map (available for Science, Geography, English, and Social Studies) to aid educators in incorporating 21st century skills into the classroom.

The outcomes described in the Science Map do incorporate 21st century skills and science skills, but they do not seem to fit easily into the curriculum that is already required for my ninth grade Biology students in the state of Virginia. Outcomes are listed for three grade levels: 4th, 8th, and 12th. As my students are in ninth grade, I should be preparing them for the 12th grade outcome, but there are no examples listed for integration into ninth grade. While the Skills Maps are a step in the right direction for helping educators to adapt their teaching style to match 21st century skills, I think that outcomes should be listed for other grade levels, as well as strategies for meeting that outcome.

The P21 web site also contains a Tools & Resources section, but finding an actual strategy that can be applied to my classroom has been difficult. Most of the resources are just links to other web sites where you can... search for resources. It seemed like a never-ending search that produced no tangible results.

While I was unable to find the "tools, examples, and strategy for action" promised by P21, the site is an excellent resource for learning about what skills are necessary in the 21st century work place. Educators and students alike need to be aware that job skills are changing; education should therefore be changing, too.

Several states (my state of Virginia not included) are part of the P21 Partnership. These states are re-writing their standards and assessments to include 21st century skills. If education is truly going to change to include skills necessary to be competitive in a global job market, all states need to follow this lead. The Virginia Department of Education Office of Educational Technology does supply a list of technology standards for students in Virginia public schools. However, these standards are separate from the content standards that teachers must already cover. The Virginia Department of Education should consider making a single list of standards that incorporate both technology and content. In this world of high-stakes standardized testing, educators are doing all they can to prepare their students for success. Educational policy-makers need to ensure that the standards they provide will indeed prepare students for success after school.

Resources:

Levy, F., & Murnane, R. (2006, Summer2006). Why the changing American economy calls for twenty-first century learning: Answers to educators' questions. New Directions for Youth Development, 2006(110), 53-62. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

Wiki - Wow!

As I learn about wikis and their possible uses in the classroom, there is one aspect that I think makes it an EXCELLENT tool for the classroom. In most wiki programs, I, as the teacher, can view all of the edits that have been made to a page and I can also see exactly who made the edits. This is really helpful for any type of group project.

For example, students can create lab reports on the wiki with their group members, or they can post science fair projects reports, and I can see exactly who is accountable for what portion of the project. This seems like a dream come true, something that teachers have always wanted to have the power to do!

Blog Lesson

So after considering using the blog as a place for students to journal, I have come up with some more specifics...

I would like to use the blog as a place for my ninth grade Biology students to answer questions about content that require them to use critical-thinking skills and to make connections between new content and prior knowledge. Making connections to current events would be beneficial for them, as well. A blog is the perfect tool for this type of activity because according to Richardson (2009), "Blogs engage readers with ideas and questions and links. They ask readers to think and respond. They demand interaction" (p. 18).

At first, I will have them work in pairs or threes to construct their responses. I will also use a rubric and model an appropriate response to help them get started in the blogging world.

As students become comfortable with the process, I can post a new question every week. Students will be required to respond thoughtfully to the question as well as to other students in the class. I'm hoping that this will help them to develop technology skills as well as critical-thinking and writing skills.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

In what ways have you incorporated blogs into your classroom? Do you find that one blog for the class works best, or should each student create their own blog?

Blogging can be fun, but is it educational?

First technology topic… now that I have researched, participated in, and even created my own blog, how can I use them to help my students?

I have always wanted to add a journaling component to my class. I have seen other science teachers use it as a way for students to take their understanding of the content to another level, but I have always avoided it because I dreaded collecting, reading, and responding to 140 journal entries!

I think the blog is here to save me from additional work while providing students with a place to respond to questions that inspire critical thinking. There will be nothing for me to collect – no journal notebooks to collect dust on my desk! The blog will also allow me to read and respond to students’ posts efficiently, since they will all be in one place. Additionally, students will receive feedback from their peers. More feedback, less work… am I missing something here? I absolutely need to try this!

Have you used blogs in your classroom? Share your ideas and tips!

Welcome to my blog!

This is very exciting for me... I have never blogged before! As you saw in my info, I teach ninth grade Biology and I am learning about new ways to incorporate technology into my classroom. I have been teaching for five years, and I am so amazed at all of the ways technology can be used to enhance learning experiences. I'm also amazed at how much I am struggling to keep up with all of it! When I enrolled in my master's program, I didn't expect to find out that I am so out of touch with the technology explosion. When did technology pass me by, and how was I so oblivious to it? Is it too late to become tech-savvy enough to use it to connect with my students? Check back for updates and answers to these questions! Oh, and don't forget to post your own experiences, please! I'd love to hear how you are using technology in your classroom and if you are also struggling to keep up with the changing world of the web.