Below is the transcript of a panel discussion I took part on today. The title was Leading for Learning: What ever Ohio Administrator Need to Know About 21st Century Skills.
851265146573 3 hours ago208.115.92.246 muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688eb52ec479.8925104539.9687316-82.999366That’s where us as leaders have to sell the vision to them
841265146568 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100244–Our school board is why we are making gains.
831265146525 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200I think one important piece that hasn’t been addressed is the school board and making sure they are on board.
821265146366 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100244–It is coming.
811265146298 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200Why don’t we open up school 24hrs and let students select the schedule to accompany their learning style.
801265145986 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700Check out http://www.educause.edu/LearningSpaces. This is a great resource even though its focus is higher education.
791265145973 3 hours agoCarole muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e2bb1bd98.0677716600i saw a great webinar about peer coaching…
781265145956 3 hours agoSmittyDotBat muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688eb52ec479.8925104539.9687316-82.999366Thx
771265145937 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Smitty- future-of-education.wikispaces.com
761265145936 3 hours agoCarole muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e2bb1bd98.0677716600what was the book/article on the educase website
751265145887 3 hours agoSmittyDotBat muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688eb52ec479.8925104539.9725215-83.0029015What website does Jeremy have up on the main screen?
741265145843 3 hours agoStan muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688f71b12e73.7880573439.97042322-82.97843235Back to my initial question… What will school design look like?
731265145828 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100244–You are right on. Even with 6 coaches we cannot deliver all of the PD that is needed. We do lean on the experts inside our buildings.
721265145777 3 hours agoGinger muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b68900eb48bf5.6877756200And students love to help others with their technology skills. I have student leaders in each classroom for different types of technology. I try to have a role for each student to step up as a leader.
711265145768 3 hours agoStan muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688f71b12e73.7880573439.97042322-82.97843235Principals are critical in that leadership matrix. The are like algebra.
701265145728 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700When admins open doors for teachers, teachers will open doors for students. Model…model…model.
691265145714 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200If you are talking about PD…you also need to look at what your teachers can do and utilize them. There are teachers who know how to use the wikis, blogs, and other technological devices not to mention formative and summative assessments. if you have your teachers training your teachers that will help you save money. also look to your kids. Some of your kids DO have the ability do training!
681265145695 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700Ginger–excellent point. There is much to consider in a relatively short period of time when it comes to credit flexibility.
671265145663 3 hours agocramtech muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688e3530cdf8.9551774000A agree with Toby. Teacher leadership is the “critical mass” that gets things moving. Building Administration then needs to open the d oors to allow the change to spread
661265145659 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Self-Direction is one of the skills I would add to the 4C’s. Students should be setting goals and reflecting continually.
651265145632 3 hours agoGinger muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b68900eb48bf5.6877756200Kimberly, Our district is also concerned about finances regarding flex credit. Will schools be responsible for helping fund those credits coming from areas outside of the district.
641265145611 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200But teachers should not feel threatened and should be willing and encouraging to students that are willing to step forward and lead.
631265145561 3 hours agoGinger muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b68900eb48bf5.6877756200And student leadership. Our students need to feel empowered in their own learning. They need to take ownership for their education too.
621265145551 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700MB–admins and teachers are grappling with how credit flex will work. How do we determine what is credit worthy? Do we accept credit from virtual schools? If so, how do we determine that the quality of the coursework through the virtual school is of high quality? Will this be a way for students to circumvent courses offered at our high school that are perceived as difficult?
611265145485 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Leadership is the key to all of this. Not just administrators, but teacher leadership also.
601265145430 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e56b4bf89.9411732939.9757387-83.00144708How much of the progress is dependent on leadership expectationss?
591265145382 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200I think the traditional teachers need to take a look at the role they play in the classroom and they need to become the coach instead of force feeding just information. I feel the focus and change has to start with some of the traditional staff.
581265145336 3 hours agocramtech muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688e3530cdf8.9551774000Misty – Our district made a hard decision to use general fund dollars to fund our Director for Instructional Technology position. The push was from the Teacher Union. It is a central office position that the union fought for. They wanted an educator that was in a decision making role to move the district forward.
571265145311 3 hours agoMB muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688f785e0ff6.5530647000I’m just wondering why you think the credit flex is making teachers nervous. Perhaps I missed something said earlier as well.
561265145249 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700MB–please clarify your question. Clearly, I am trying to do too many things right now.
551265145198 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Technology is a tool that helps us develop our skills. We cannot keep up. That is why we must learn with our students. We don’t have t stay ahead of them.
541265145148 3 hours agoMB muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688f785e0ff6.5530647000Kimberly- Why? Are they looking at it as if it will replace them or for another reason?
531265145017 3 hours agoSheryl muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b6893ea813ff3.1579586700Ginger – look at online collaboration tools.
521265144991 3 hours agoSmittyDotBat muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688eb52ec479.8925104539.9725215-83.0029015How will you be able to enforce standards when technology keeps evolving at the pace it is now?
511265144985 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200When you are talking assessments…are you thinking more of authenitc assessments? (ie the assessment model that is in the treasure chest that Margaret Searle developed for the state in 2003)
501265144977 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700Credit flexibility makes most secondary educators very nervous right now!
491265144918 3 hours agoSheryl muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b6893ea813ff3.1579586700This is exciting – it is important to go where the students are going to be. They will all have jobs that don’t currently exist.
481265144885 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Misty–Initial thoughts are yes you can.
471265144857 3 hours agoChris muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b689315396756.8586371700@ MB – I tell my teachers this “Internet” thing isn’t just a phase. It is a wheel, printing press, accomplishment of flight. It is ground breaking and these times will be studied in history as the new Age of Information
461265144836 3 hours agoGinger muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b68900eb48bf5.6877756200Most teachers teach many of these skills to their students through modeling. We simply need to be more intentional with some of these skills so students are practicing and mastering them, rather than observing them in us.
451265144819 3 hours agoMisty muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688e3aa4eb54.4277406100How are schools funding integration specialists? Are they using grant money? Any ideas if we can use Race to the Top money (assuming we get it) to fund these type of positions?
441265144796 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200I think it is almost going to make the fun come back into learning and not be such a driven education just for the sake of a test.
431265144794 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100MB-Unlike most initiatives, this one has come from the business world, not education policy makers.
421265144715 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Cramtech-YES
411265144595 3 hours agoMB muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688f785e0ff6.5530647000Our teachers want to know if this is just another buzz word that will go out as quickly as it came in. How do we convince them that this is a worthwhile vision and an outline for the changes coming in curriculum and instruction?
401265144473 3 hours agoChris muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688e69837c54.1967625200Like Web 2.0, schools will have to become Schools 2.0. Not just solving their educational needs from within but bringing the learn from outside in and allowing the students to be guided to pick and choose the learning they are most interested.
391265144468 3 hours agocramtech muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688e3530cdf8.9551774000You need to think differently. These skills are not to be used in addition but rather as a means to accomplishments that lead to test success
381265144452 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700Stan–yes.
371265144446 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700Stan,
361265144431 3 hours agoGinger muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b68900eb48bf5.6877756200Misty, I agree. We are being told to teach to the individual, foster individuality and creativity, and then push our kids through the same standardized testing as everyone else. It seems so contradictory!
351265144386 3 hours agoStan muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688f71b12e73.7880573439.97042322-82.97843235Is our challenge even greater than we think? Do we need to educate our parents and our community about 21st cen skills?
341265144370 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200The state has identified that the 21st century skills be incorporated in the new model curriculum. How do we as district leaders drive this initiative so we can make sure our students are receiving what they need??
331265144355 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700FYI, backchannelers: if you hit enter, your message sends. Sorry, Ginger. Didn’t mean to call you out.
321265144346 3 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e56b4bf89.9411732939.9757387-83.00144708Is social networking inclusive or exclusive?
311265144333 3 hours agoMisty muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688e3aa4eb54.4277406100I agree with everything being said in the video, but with the emphasis on test scores and meeting AYP – we have a disconnect with what we need to do and what we are expected to do
301265144312 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100modeling of the teaching we want them to do through professional development.
291265144279 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700model everything for traditional teachers. They learned in a traditional fashion and need to learn in a new manner in order to be able to innately teach/facilitate in a new manner.
281265144276 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Ginger,
271265144241 3 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Model Curriculum??? Since this is new initiative, we are all waiting to see.
261265144235 3 hours agoGinger muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b68900eb48bf5.6877756200Sorry! Kim, we have so many parents who are upset when we have students collaborate on projects and other assignments and I have been trying to push the need for this. What can you recommend?
251265144218 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700Ginger,
241265144194 3 hours agoGinger muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b68900eb48bf5.6877756200Kim,
231265144176 3 hours agoGinger muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b68900eb48bf5.6877756200How do you get the teachers who consider themselves part of the “traditional” educational system to buy in to the importance of these 21Century Skills?
221265144172 3 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700I would recommend starting with collaboration. If adults and children don’t collaborate, creativity will only take them so far; critical thinking will be limited.
211265144130 4 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200How will the 21c.skills look in the new model curriculum?
201265144118 4 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking and Creativity
191265144070 4 hours agoCarole muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e2bb1bd98.0677716600What are the ones that P21 say are the most important?
181265144041 4 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688ee27ee667.9910335200What would be the first of the skills that a district should focus on when begining the process?
171265144031 4 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700Stan–check out http://www.educause.edu/LearningSpaces. This is a great resource even though its focus is higher education.
161265143876 4 hours agoStan muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e39f3a575.7324693300How will 21st Century skills affect changes in building design and how does our current design(s) impact how well we are able to teach 21st Century Skills?
151265143860 4 hours ago208.115.92.246 muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebbc96a01.7585549900but students can’t get to higher ed without strong k-12 public schools.
141265143853 4 hours agoMisty muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688e3aa4eb54.4277406100Thanks Toby, I can handle that -
131265143822 4 hours agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688ebd53e238.0132671100Misty-Go to backnoise.com. and follow directions. Simple!
121265143762 4 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e56b4bf89.9411732939.9757387-83.00144708How do you effectively measure 21 century skills?
111265143752 4 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e8a9cf999.7949927300Isn’t higher Ed more important in this age?
101265143740 4 hours agoMisty muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688e3aa4eb54.4277406100We need a session on how to set up our own BackNoise sites.
91265143678 4 hours agoLynn Ochs muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688f5ddfc4f6.0438863300We’re here because this is a relevant and timely topic!
81265143509 4 hours agoSmittyDotBat muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688eb52ec479.8925104539.9725215-83.0029015Hi!
71265143483 4 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e8a9cf999.7949927300thanks for large print
61265143459 4 hours ago208.115.92.244 muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e56b4bf89.9411732939.9757387-83.00144708Need bigger type for us old people.
51265143418 4 hours agocramtech muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b688e3530cdf8.9551774000Hola
41265143396 4 hours agoCarole muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688e2bb1bd98.0677716600Hello 21cskills presenters
31265143364 4 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700Do you have any opening questions for the panel? Post them to this back channel.
21265143288 4 hours agoKimberly Brueck muteunmute208.115.92.244bn4b688dcde1dc30.3085543700Hello everyone! Thanks for joining us today.
1265143216 4 hours agokbrueck muteunmute42511168557051326Hello!r #21cskills
11265057619 1 day agoToby muteunmute208.115.92.246bn4b673f458d2d25.5234716700Welcome
1. Be humble—No matter how good of a teacher you are, realize you can improve.
2. Read—This seems obvious, but how many of us say, “I want to read more, but I don’t have the time.” 10-15 minutes a day can make a difference.
3. Observe—Look at those around you. What are they doing that is different than you? Is it effective? Why? Why not?
4. Listen to your students. Are they engaged? If they aren’t engaged there is a problem.
5. Talk to everyone. Turn every conversation into a learning experience.
6. Explore—There is more knowledge out there than we can ever acquire. Pick a subject and become a sponge in the sea of information
7. Take a chance—You never know till you try. Many of the best learning experiences are our failures.
8. Reflect—why was a lesson good or bad? What did the students learn? Was that the intended outcome?
9. Do more of what they are bad at. Students don’t do well with self-direction. How do they get better? By doing more activities that build a student’s self-directedness.
10. Your turn_________________ fill in the blank with your reply.
Earlier today I was listening to an Episode of Shift Our Schools podcast. In the 35-minute episode they were discussing the topics of self-direction, technology, project based learning and much more. I strongly recommend all educators who want to get a better idea of why we are teaching ‘21st century skills’ give this a listen.
One item in the episode that caught my attention was when they mentioned this IB chemistry Blog. It is quite impressive. The post are very content rich(and over my head). What is most impressive are the comments students are making back to each other. Many are more detailed than the original post.
For teachers, the about page has a great listing of what students can blog about. If you are ready to dive into student blogging, or just want to expand what you are already doing, this is a great resource.
I recently collected resources to help educators guide their own professional development. I would like to thank @web20classroom and @simplek12 on Twitter for sharing. Here is the list. Fell free to share and add to it. (Some of these are local opportunities here in central Ohio)
Conferences and Professional Development Opportunities 2009-2010
EduCon 2.2 is both a conversation and a conference.
And it is not a technology conference. It is an education conference. It is, hopefully, an innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big dreams.
It is a dedicated timewhen Ohio educators, (teachers, faculty, librarians, instructional designers, administrators, students, technicians) network, listen and explore — then roll up our sleeves and learn! It is a dedicated time where we rub elbows with people like us; hear from international experts; recognize teaching excellence, scholarship, student accomplishments, and tech innovations. It is a dedicated time where all of us (from pre-school, elementary and secondary education, career centers, colleges, universities, and adult education) can tap into the best educational currents across the state and re-energize!
The K-12 Online Conference invites participation from educators around the world interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning. This FREE conference is run by volunteers and open to everyone. The 2009 conference theme is “Bridging the Divide.”
Attain success; learn to seamlessly integrate technology into your curriculum. Explore best practice solutions from leaders in educational technology and experience the most valuable educational innovations.
Save time and engage students. Gain need-to-know knowledge on how effective use of technology translates into more meaningful teaching time. Impact student achievement through strategic implementation.
Discover how technology integration helps you go green.
Classroom20.com, the social network for those interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in education. We encourage you to sign up to participate in the great discussions here, to receive event notifications, and to find and connect with colleagues.
Classroom 2.0 is a free, community-supported network. We especially hope that those who are “beginners” will find this a supportive community and a comfortable place to start being part of the digital dialog. If you feel that you are a beginner and want some extra help, please click here to join the Beginner Group as soon as you’ve registered.
PBS TeacherLine’s high quality, standards-based graduate-level courses offer teachers the professional development opportunities they need in an accessible online format that makes learning fun, flexible and collaborative. You can earn graduate credit, PDPs, or CEUs while gaining strategies and resources to bring directly to your classroom.
Here at SimpleK12, we know how important technology education is, and we also know that there isn’t always enough edtech funding to get the training and assessments your students, teachers, and staff need.
That’s why we have FREE curriculum offers for your students, and professional development solutions for teachers and staff.
See below for our simple solutions. We offer every district a free simple solution for their student technology education and a free simple solution for teacher professional development.
eBistro is a professional development tool for educators in North Carolina that will help teachers feel more comfortable integrating technology into the curriculum. Participants are able to create a login, complete individual learning modules, and save their work in their own digital portfolio. Other areas of eBistro provide resources for grant writing and other items deemed important for teachers.
Teachers, Administrators, School Leaders and others with a vested interest in education are quickly realizing that the face of education is changing. Students, begining in the lowest grade levels are coming to school as digital citizens, yet the system has been slow to adapt. The 23 Things Web 2.0 Project is designed to introduce you to the tools that can transform your classroom, school or district. Activities can be completed independently, as a small learning community or as a large staff.
See for yourself what the Web 2.0 buzz is all about. Aside from being highly interactive, accessible and collaborative-it’s a fun use of technology! Our experts will guide you through six different ways to incorporate Web 2.0 into your classroom. Prepare yourself to learn a lot and be entertained along the way. GO EXPLORE!
Online learning is a convenient way to gain valuable technology-based and content-based skills that is flexible and works with your schedule. It’s a great way to obtain graduate credit in an engaging multimedia environment.
Intimidated? Don’t be – we’re user-friendly! We have supportive and patient facilitators that work with you to ensure your success!
Face-to-Face Fridays (F2F) – These hands-on sessions are offered at North, Central and Southern locations from 10-3 and are limited to a maximum of ten participants.
Interactive Video Conferencing (IVC) Tuesdays – These one hour presentations are offered via video on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30. Each site may have as many participants as desired.
Online Classes (OLC) – Take an online course in your PJs! Courses are composed of four to five modules with lessons typically posted each Monday and due the following Sunday. You work at your own pace with guided instruction and assistance provided online by an ITSCO consultant. It’s that simple. All you need is a computer and Internet access!
On October 19th I ran a professional development session showing exemplars of 21st Century Learning. Most exemplars of 21st century lessons are going to have a technology component to them. In order to field questions about the lessons and technologies, I had participants text me questions using poll everywhere. Here are the questions I didn’t get to answer during the session and my answers to them:
What would b easier 2 manage – a wiki or moodle?
It depends on your goal. Moodle is a course management system. It does a lot more then a wiki can. A wiki is a website that is easily edited by many users. My suggestion is to discuss this question with an Integration Coach.
Could we see rubrics from teachers in the district?
We will be working on gathering and creating rubrics this year. The goal is to share them out with staff once they are gathered.
How time consuming is having a moodle with ur students? How do u manage?
If you manage it effectively, it will take you no more time that you are currently spending assessing your students. Anytime you do something new to accomplish a curricular goal, you should let something go. When you start using Moodle begin small. Ex. Replace a traditional formative open ended short answer writing with a forum in Moodle. You now have a rich discussion instead of an individual writing what they think the teacher wants to hear.
Have you seen teachers use this in class?
I have used every one of these items in class myself and endorse them all as powerful tools for student learning.
do u need to download voice thread? Could u share how to add it to Moodle?
Voicethread is a web based tool, No download is needed. I do not have a quick tutorial on how to embed Voicethread in Moodle. I will look for one.
do u think having the kids maintain a wiki with newsletter info would work?
That is a great idea for how to use a wiki!
pros / cons of using a wiki within moodle?
Pro: Inside moodle with all of your other course assignments, easy to manage groups of students and permissions.
Cons: Not as graphically pleasing as pbworks or wikispaces, only visable to students in your class (this could be a pro depending on the purpose)
can you use moodle for peer editing?
You sure can, here is an example of how one teacher used it for peer evaluation. Contact a coach and we can show you how to use it for peer editing.
can you show me how to have my students text me questions?
The website is polleverywhere.com. I would be more than happy to give a quick overview of how to use it.
My question to leave this post, based upon this event, do cell phones have a place in school?
I started my day off like most; shower, coffee, in the car for my 30 minute drive… Then the juices started flowing. I had a new thought. A potential solution to a dilemma I was faced with last week. Then, I hit a traffic jam that I knew was going to cause me to be a little late. Usually I start griping and looking for people to pass, not today. Today I pulled out my iPhone, opened the voice recorder app and started talking. The ideas were coming out faster than the rain of the day was coming down.
Then…
It hit me. I control this everyday. I don’t control everyone else. I control me. This is such a simple concept. Why don’t we all see it? In education there is so much to get overwhelmed with. Last week I sat at meeting and everything that came up boiled my blood a bit. Many of these decisions just didn’t make sense to me.
What I thought about today was, this is reality. How to I affect this reality positively? If I join the gripers, I just become part of the problem. I stop progress. As a leader in the area of 21century skills, it would be hypocritical for me to impede progress.
I’m not saying I am going to stop working for what I believe in. I am going to change how I frame things in my mind. If this is reality, what can I do to this reality to make it a positive one? I am going to make every day a great one!
I am in Chicago attending the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Professional Development Affiliates event. We were given the assignment tonight to watch this video. My questions to all of you are: why can’t all classrooms look like this? What can we do to shift our schools to this 21st century model of teaching?
Anyone who questions 21st century skills needs to see this clip. Collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, self-direction…All while learning content at a deeper level than most classrooms.
I always start professional development sessions with a video clip if I can find a good one that fits. I just saw this one and am wondering how teachers would react to it. What do you think?
I have a question. Should all students have the option of getting an equal education? (Equal does not mean the same). Does anyone really need to think about this? If so, what is there to think about?
The 6th largest district in the state of Ohio, nearly 21,000 K-12 students, failed another levy this week. Attached to that failure is the loss of teachers, athletics, high school busing, band, theater, all after school activities. For some students they lost the reason they come to school in the first place. Some can claim the failure was due to the economy. I don’t because two-thirds of the levies in central Ohio passed the same day. I put part of the blame on sections of the community not putting a value on a quality education for the students who live in the neighboring homes. The big question is, do those people have the right to choose the quality of education our children will receive?
I put the majority of the blame on a broken system. A system that give individuals who feel little or no tie to the local schools the ability to choose the fate of its students. All students deserve a quality education. Not just the ones coming from a community that backs it schools because they know the value of a quality education. While a high school teacher in Southwestern City teaches 155 students a day, teachers in neighboring districts will teach 120, 100 and even some as low as 80.
So, what is the solution? We need to stop relying on property taxes to fund schools. There needs to be a solution in which a set dollar amount is guaranteed to be spent on every student in the state. This amount needs to figure in reasonable loads for teachers based upon university research on class sizes. It needs to include technology. In the 21st century, technology should be ubiquitous in our schools. In Southwestern it is just old and dusty (Some labs have 10 year old computers). This money should include choices for our students. High schools should look more like colleges because of the vast experiences that are offered.
I know life is not fair, but should we be teaching that lesson to our youth through an unfair education system? Only a voice as loud as thousands can make a change to this reality.
About a week ago I asked my PLN on Twitter, “When a teacher says ‘I don’t have time for that’ do they mean, I don’t know how & I’m not willing to take the time to learn.” I will start by saying this is not my opinion, I was trying to start a discussion.
There was a great amount of wisdom in the responses.
@futureofedu It might just mean “I’m scared to try that!” from @kellyhines
I agree, many want to jump in, they are just scared of the water. In my district, there is me and the others in our educational technology department there to be their life jackets. Still, not all people are jumpping in.
@futureofedu means teacher doesn’t know how said thing fits w/curriculum therefore said thing is perceived as added on to curriculum. from @nancydevine
We must stress that it isn’t one more thing. When we talk about embedding technology and 21st century skills, it happens with the teaching of content, not separately.
@futureofedu Probably more like: “I’m being pulled in too many directions with stuff I already know to take on something else.” from @nlowell
@futureofedu Yes and no-My current workload exceeds my contractual liability.Should I feel pressured into even more with no allowance – no? from @sdisbury
@zemote @futureofedu re: teachers/time – I don’t even have time to do the things I know how to do and I desperately want to do. from @teacherc
Dear adminstrtors, please make time in your teachers schedule for them to learn and grow. Hire people in your district that can support this professional learning.
Dear Politician, Find a way for the above statement to be financially feasible for ALL schools.
Teachers need to shift their practices to embed 21st century skills and technology. This should not be an option. The problem is the lack of understanding and funding for this shift to happen at the speed it should be. The question I am left to ponder, what do we do to change this?
Entries (RSS)