21st Century Skills

The definition “Being prepared for the real world” is being rewritten every couple of years. As I think back to my final year of high school, we rarely used the internet. That was just 10 years ago. Preparing student with 21st Century Skills is a task that requires more than tests and written assignments. Student must be prepared to utilize their critical thinking and working skills in many different ways. As technology continues to change, the way and materials that we teach must change as well.

To give our student an advantage in truly being prepared with 21st Century Skills, we must provide them with the knowledge to utilize different technologies. For example, the use of PBwiki is a great way to have a discussion with students as a homework assignment. This not only engages them in the use of technological skills, but it promotes critical thinking in which will be published for all to see. This is a great way to introduce them to a competitive world in which they must be able to utilize tools such as; critical thinking, proper grammar, informed opinions, and researched based discussions.

As technology continues to change, we must give our student an advantage. We must provide them with tools to feel comfortable engaging in critical thinking. Who knows where technology will go next, but be assured that it will be an advantage to be able to effectively use it.

RSS Feeds.....There GREEEAAAT!

Ok, that title may be a bit cheesy, but let’s face it, RSS feeds make it a whole lot easier to follow the latest in greatest when it comes to technology. I started this class extremely overwhelmed with the amount of links, new technology, and information that was being thrown at me. My new RSS feeds have lowered my blood pressure and brought me back to my comfort zone.

Professionally RSS feeds allow me to follow specific blogs that I like. It allows me to organize materials in a way that can be beneficial to me. It has redefined the term “collaboration” as I have become connected to many people just from a couple of click of the mouse. Networking has become a big part of professionalism, and RSS feeds only contribute to effective networking. Not only can I use RSS feeds for my benefit, but I can share this information or new information to many people just by collaboration on the web. I consider myself moderately unorganized, but this new technology has been of great use and benefit to becoming more organized with technology.

Blogs in Our Schools

Blogs have many beneficial uses in our schools. They can be used in the classroom, with athletic groups, with clubs, and for school announcements. The possibilities are endless as education is always looking for ways to expand and become more efficient. If we can use another tool to increase student, parent, and community engagement, it is only going to benefit the school community.

Blogs are a great way to get information out, and instantly. If a school has an announcement or idea, the use of blogs would be an effective way to not only get the message out, but also get feedback on a topic. The community can remain updated, while the school can get a pulse on the community. Schools can utilize a blog to quickly get a message out to parents. This could become an effective give and take relationship between schools and the parents.

The use of blogs in the classroom is a great way to keep students updated. It is also effective in having them create blogs in which they implement their critical thinking skills on certain topics or subjects. It creates a connection outside of the classroom that is accessible around the clock. We must be careful as teachers to monitor blog usage. To make sure that it is remaining clean, safe and productive for all parties involved

Blogging as a Teaching Tool

"We cannot fight the technology." I find myself saying this in the teacher's lounge as SOME teachers complain about the kids and their dependence on technology these days. I do agree that using technology to replace personal socialization in general is a dangerous trend; however, if we can use technology in our classroom to improve student engagement, I am all for it.



As I am new to blogging myself, I find myself excited to learn in more detail about how to implement the use of blogs in the classroom. With social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter taking up a lot of a teenagers home life; why not get on-line with them. It not only gives a forum for discussion outside of the classroom, but it enters a world that many students have become comfortable with using.



A teacher could use blogging in a variety of different ways. They could use it to post readings and have students comment on the readings. It could be used to allow students to develop their own blogs on a guided topic, or something that they are interested in. Whatever it might be it is just another tool that we should embrace as teachers and use to our advantage to better engage students in education.

Blogs and Professional Development

As we move forward and become a more progressive educational world it has become extremely important to become connected. Blogging is a great way to share ideas, collaborate and explore what is happening in the world of education (or whatever area you are interested in). I look forward to finding new tools and ideas that will contribute to my resources as a teacher and professional. I have found the following blogs that I will follow to contribute to my professional development:

http://www.thisweekineducation.com/

This blog provides many links to news stories involving others in the teaching profession. It also discusses hot topics such as: education and politics, NCLB, teacher lay-offs, reform, etc. It keeps in tune to the latest news and politics in our profession.

www.assortedstuff.com/top101

This blog site links teachers to interactive websites, information, and learning tools that can be used right in the classroom.

http://janeknight.typepad.com/

This is another great blog site to give teachers e-learning tips, links and ideas. This site not only gives teachers links to help them in the classroom, but also as a professional. Great for building e-learning resources.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

This blog is full of free tech tips as well as free technology resources that are available to teachers.

While looking at the different blogs I found myself intrigued by the blogs that provided resources and for teaching and technology. I always get excited when I learn something new that I can implement in the classroom, or utilize with my students. Using these blogs will contribute to my professional development, as well as my student's development.

What do I want out of my Tech Course

As we see a world that becomes more dependent on the use of technology it become important for a teacher to integrate these skills into their curriculum and classroom. I am hoping that this course gives new ideas and tools that will contribute to my knowledge and teaching. Often time teachers shy away from the technology, even deeming it inappropriate for students to use (web profile pages, cell phone, etc.). I believe we can use it to our advantage and my hope is that this class updates me on these trends and ideas.