21st Century Skills

As educators our job is to prepare students to succeed in the 21st century; however, we must teach in a 21st century context and utilize 21st century tools (Skills for the 21st Century Learner, n.d.). The working world is requiring new employees, our graduating seniors, to be able to complete “complex, tactical, and strategic tasks” (Bates & Phelan, 2002), but to accomplish this, Dr. Dede (2008) suggests that we change our curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment for these learners.

Pushing for change, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills advocates for local, state, and federal policies that would prepare our students for success in the 21st century. This organization is supported not only by educational gurus but by major corporations such as Microsoft, Apple, and The Walt Disney Company. These companies understand what is necessary for success in the 21st century so the educational system should, at the minimum, hear what they have to say. 

While I am pleased to say that Wisconsin, the state where I teach, has committed itself to lead in implementing a strategy for 21st century learning to take place, I am disappointed that only 14 states have taken this challenge. Where are the other 36 states? Should not the entire country challenge its schools, districts, and states to revise their educational systems to teach 21st century skills?

One of the most useful aspects of the website for educators is the accessibility to resources and tools. For example, if one does not understand what a 21st century classroom looks like, one can simply view a video demonstrating students learning using 21st century tools. Or one can go to Route 21 and view specific resources for educators. Some of these tools can be purchased for a small fee, but many are free online. Now that I am aware of these resources, I am able to use them as inspiration for possible projects in my classroom. After viewing the list of targeted skills, I know that I have a long way to go to make my English classroom completely 21st century relevant, but I am ready for the challenge.

References
Bates, R., & Phelan, K. (2002). Characteristics of a globally competitive workforce. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 4(2), 121. Database: Management and Organization Studies: A SAGE Full-text collection database

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society, “Skills for the 21st century.” Baltimore, MD.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/downloads/P21_Report.pdf

Brad Feick
HS English
Walden University

Richardson (2009): "Blogs are Hot"

Having “over 100 million people” (Richardson, 2009) develop blogs, the education world needs to start to incorporate blogging into the classroom to accomplish new and exciting opportunities for student learning. Teaching three different courses – American Literature, Composition, and Freshmen English, I have considered developing a class portal for my students to have direct access to course materials, handouts, reading assignments, and supplementary links to content. A class portal through a blog would allow the educator to have all meaningful information in one location for students and parents to access.

Students in my composition course could benefit from blogging by creating personal blogs (using a pseudonym or first names only to protect privacy) to serve as an online journal. Most importantly, blogs provide an immediate audience who may write and return comments, something that essays or private journals cannot do (Richardson, 2009). Their writing, like it or not, would be available for others to read and enjoy. These weblogs would truly “expand the walls of the classroom” (Richardson, 2009). Where else do students have an immediate audience to showcase their writing?

In addition to my composition course, my American Literature course could use the blogs to stimulate discussions among students. Students, who are quiet or shy in large and small group setting, may feel comfortable responding to questions behind a computer screen and a keyboard. Students are able to answer questions, offer insight, and inquire on specific topics. These students would benefit from the constructivist approach of education where the students, not the teacher, generate the learning. By utilizing blogs, students construct knowledge via online collaboration and the sharing of knowledge. These discussions can then be used the next day in class bridging the instruction from the day before or connecting to a new concept.

While these are a few ideas of how to use blogs successfully in the classroom, I look forward to implementing these strategies into the classroom. I’ll try to monitor my classroom blog’s progress – successes and failures – on this blog.

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

Becoming a Blogger

When I was a teenager I used to keep a notebook beside my bed just in case I wanted to record my thoughts. I would write for a few days or perhaps even a week, but the novelty would wear off and not too long after, the notebook would collect dust and eventually slip under my bed lost beneath socks, shorts, and whatever else I shoved under my bed. Months later, I would recover the journal in a cleaning spree and make another halfhearted attempt to become a writer. I wanted to write - or at least, the romantic idea of becoming a writer. So here I am again attempting to become the writer that I longed to be in my teenage years.

Now however I am more focused and more driven than I was as a teenager. Writing, this time, will not be a collection of random thoughts, but instead will serve as a professional journal reflecting on my teaching experiences, educational pedagogy, technology, and even a few goofy teaching moments. Ultimately, this blog will be a means for me to reflect as I grow as an educator.