While my course is coming to an end, my blogging will continue. I have learned so much throughout this course. I have learned about aspects of technology that I had never even heard of. The terms wiki, blogs, and podcasts are now a permanent fixture in my vocabulary. I have begun to develop lesson plans that will help my students to thrive in the 21st century because of the technology that I am implementing. My learning disabled students now realize that that they can accomplish anything that that they set their minds too. It is never easy to implement new forms of technology in the classroom, however with the proper tutorial, all students can become masters of technology. Technology encourages students to take ownership of their education. Rather than having teacher centered classrooms, the students are more in charge of what they learn. The teacher is a facilitator that encourages creativity in the classroom. I hope to learn more about creating podcasts in my classroom. I have already discussed with administration the possibility of holding more teacher inservices to learn new forms of technology so that we can keep up with the pace of our students.
One goal that I hope to achieve within the next two years is to apply for a grant to receive new technology devices for my classroom. I hope to receive webcams and laptop computers for my students to use. I also plan to meet with the technology coordinator for my district to discuss ways to educate the staff so that we are all on the same page as far as meeting the needs of our students. It is crucial that our students do not leave us behind in terms of learning new technologies.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills
I found the Partnership for the 21st Century to be very interesting. I know how important it is to infuse the 21st century skills into education and this program focuses on just that. I love the fact that all stakeholders are involved with creating the vision for the 21st century education. This is something that we have to get all stakeholders to buy into and it helps that the business community, education leaders and policymakers are all involved with this process.
This is site that was created to encourage and advocate for the implementation of these 21st century skills. This is something that all schools should use and see the importance of. The fact that only 9 states have bought into this shows just how hard we have to fight to incorporate this change. This shows that teachers and educators have the tendency to stay in their comfort zones and how they unfortunately have that immediate resistance to change. This is definitely unfortunate, but true. It has been this way with education for years and years. We have to show data and prove to them that this change will work and that the students will benefit from it.
I like that the fact that the program has "developed a unified collective vision for the 21st century learning that can be used to strengthen American Education." This is something that I feel strongly about. I believe that lawmakers and policy makers have so many outcomes that they want educators to reach, but they give limited ideas and strategies on how to reach those goals. This is something that could be put into place so that all educators would be on the same page when it comes to addressing these 21st century skills.
One thing that I disagree with or that is lacking is how to provide the schools with the technology resources. Yes, they give publications and online tools, but what about the schools that don't have computers and other technology resources that they desperately need. How can we address the technological inequalities within the schools systems? How can we make sure that all students have the resources that they need to attain the 21st century skills?
The implications for myself and my learning community is that we have so much work to do. I recognized that my students have so much that they have to do in order to survive in the 21 century. I know that I am dedicated to preparing them for this 21st century. I will continue to reach this goal by absorbing as much knowledge as I can and exposing my students to all that I learn.
This is site that was created to encourage and advocate for the implementation of these 21st century skills. This is something that all schools should use and see the importance of. The fact that only 9 states have bought into this shows just how hard we have to fight to incorporate this change. This shows that teachers and educators have the tendency to stay in their comfort zones and how they unfortunately have that immediate resistance to change. This is definitely unfortunate, but true. It has been this way with education for years and years. We have to show data and prove to them that this change will work and that the students will benefit from it.
I like that the fact that the program has "developed a unified collective vision for the 21st century learning that can be used to strengthen American Education." This is something that I feel strongly about. I believe that lawmakers and policy makers have so many outcomes that they want educators to reach, but they give limited ideas and strategies on how to reach those goals. This is something that could be put into place so that all educators would be on the same page when it comes to addressing these 21st century skills.
One thing that I disagree with or that is lacking is how to provide the schools with the technology resources. Yes, they give publications and online tools, but what about the schools that don't have computers and other technology resources that they desperately need. How can we address the technological inequalities within the schools systems? How can we make sure that all students have the resources that they need to attain the 21st century skills?
The implications for myself and my learning community is that we have so much work to do. I recognized that my students have so much that they have to do in order to survive in the 21 century. I know that I am dedicated to preparing them for this 21st century. I will continue to reach this goal by absorbing as much knowledge as I can and exposing my students to all that I learn.
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