Evaluating 21st Century Skills

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills has revived the effective connections that schools once had with society. They have developed “partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders.” These connections are valuable to education because they bring the outside world into the normally closed school building. Opening up the world to our students is becoming more imperative every year; American students are falling behind as they enter the global workforce. P21 has identified six key areas as a focus for educators to train our students for the 21st century.

As I perused the website, I easily related to the visual representation of their framework. P21 offered clear, concise descriptions that were categorized by “student outcomes” and “support systems.” This type of support is most effect for me – clear expectations with the help to achieve those goals. While my initial reaction to the site was excitement, I struggled to understand the organization of the resources. I also did not find the “resources” to be helpful. Maybe I did not know how to search and I would require training to fully benefit from the “Route 21” support site.

I was not necessarily surprised, but encouraged to see P21 recognize the effectiveness of businesses and the community can have on a school body. If we expect our students to enter the community as intelligent adults, shouldn’t we start building those relationships before they need a job? P21 has bridged gaps between themselves and other education initiatives; they do not want to replace systems already in place – they hope to support our students through collaboration of existing programs. They remind teachers that NCLB has an expectation of technological literacy by the end of eighth grade. P21 framework/standards/outcomes will come alongside NCLB to provide tech. literacy.

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills will hopefully come to South Carolina. I know my students and I could greatly benefit from the support and resources from their framework. I struggle to know the specific ways to help my students become proficient in 21^st century skills. The standards presented are easy to understand, as well as assessments that focus on student performance and demonstration of 21^st century skills. For my students to keep up with the global economy, they must be trained to handle fast pace of this new century. To be effective, there must be distinct expectations for me, the teacher, and for them, the future employees.

Oops!

I have to apologize! I was investigating the options for blog comments and I "checked" the box to require me to approve all comments. (I think this option will be necessary when my students begin posting.)

THANK YOU for your comments! I was starting to get nervous that no one had commented and it was MY fault all along. Live and Learn! :)

Blogging in Room 110

When I think about blogging in my classroom, my emotions range from excitement to extreme fear. The excitement stems from the endless possibilities that blogs can offer my students: writing assignments, lesson reflections, discussions... Then the fear sets in. Since I teach fifth grade, I worry, 'Will my students be able to maturely handle the public domain? Will their writing reflect what they know or will it be an embarrassment (grammar, content, etc.)?' Please tell me these emotions are normal.

Some ideas I am considering...

• We are beginning our science unit study of ecosystems. I would like to see a blog become a tool for my students to reflect on the week's content. "What have you learned this week about ecosystems? Be sure to include two new vocabulary words in your post."
• In writing, we are practicing expository writing (descriptive). Instead of everyone reading their papers in front of the class [no time!], a blog post would be a great way to share their composition about their favorite pet. Students could choose which papers to read and leave comments about what they liked and maybe one suggestion to make it better.
• Our school has used guided reading groups (small group instruction) for third through fifth grade. Guided reading groups and workstations/centers have been more focused on the primary grades, but I have enjoyed getting to know my students as readers. This time allows for "technology" workstations, so each student has a chance on the computer for reading comprehension/grammar games at least once a week. With this "extra" time, another way my students could use blogs is by reflecting on a text -- I would like to specifically try an editorial piece. Could they post their opinion in an intelligent fashion?

My worries could certainly be put to rest with encouraging instruction and high expectations. Most likely, the majority of my students would latch onto this new and exciting technology to enhance their learning.

Let's Try Again!

I am starting this blog as an assignment for my master’s degree, but I am very excited about the possibilities. We are going to be learning and discussing methods to utilize the Internet for student engagement in our classrooms. I look forward to this new challenge in my career!