21st Century Skills

            As educators, we need to be aware of 21st-Century skills that our students will need to succeed in life after they have finished school.  It is important to find time in your day to teach these life-long skills to your students.  I know there is already a lot of pressure for teachers, some of which can include busy schedules, standardized testing, set curriculums, and pacing.  However, I found out that I am already teaching some of these important skills and I did not even realize it.  I recently explored the website “Partnership for 21stCentury Skills” to explore which skills were important and to research effective methods of teaching them. 

            After checking out this website for a while, I was very impressed.  Just the format alone and home page were very eye-catching and it is organized for easy navigation.  One of the very first things that jumped out at me was that this organization has a Twitter account.  I think this is a great idea because it will keep people updated even if they do not visit the site.  The top of the website also has a mission statement which basically states that the organization was developed to get every student prepared for the 21st century (Partnership, 2011). 

            The website also offers a nice graphic to help explain the student outcomes and support systems.  The four outcomes are life and career skills, learning and innovation skills, information, media, and technology skills, and core subjects.  The four support systems are standards and assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development, and learning environments.  Looking at this picture on the website really helped me to understand what this organization is striving for and how they plan to achieve it.   

            I could not really find anything I disagreed with on this website because I think it is a great organization with great ideas.  I was a little surprised however to see that there were only sixteen states that are a part of the Partnership for 21st Century Learners (Partnership, 2011).  It was nice to check out each state and see the level of their involvement.  I also liked how there was information given on how a state can become a partner.  I wish there was a section on this website that gave information on which states were in the process of becoming a member.  I feel like if this information was made public, and on this website, then states may receive more help from people who view the website.  Who knows, it could expedite the process of a state becoming a partner, or even just get started. 

            After exploring this website, I felt much better about teaching 21st century skills to my students.  It is nice to know that this kind of organization is out there and that they realize the importance these skills have on our students future lives.  Without these important skills, they could struggle to have a successful job.  I am excited about this website and all they have to offer.  I hope that it starts to get more positive press from the media so more states can become involved.  This website and organization is truly dedicated to helping all students achieve important skills to succeed in life. 

           

References

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills.
Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

Using a Blog in a First Grade Classroom

I teach first grade at a private school and have been thinking about how I could successfully use a blog at this level.  At first, I did not think a blog would be that useful for a first grade classroom.  The more I thought about it, I realized I was completely wrong and I finally came up with a few good ideas on how to use a blog at the first grade level.  The first idea that came to mind was to use the blog as a tool to communicate with parents.  Most parents are becoming more and more savvy in the field of technology and are also becoming more familiar with blogs.  Some parents find it easier to communicate with their child's teacher online because they are around computers all day.

I also like the idea of putting up student work on a blog in first grade.  First Graders are very eager to show off their work.  If it is on a blog, this would allow for friends and relatives across the country to see their work.  The blog could also be used to interact with other classes in the community, or even from afar.

Welcome!

Technology is constantly changing and keeping up with it can be a difficult task.  Some schools around the country are adapting to technology well, while others are struggling to keep up.  I am currently a first grade teacher at a private Catholic school where technology is limited.  I do have a SMART Board, which has been a great asset, but am looking forward to finding more ways to incorporate technology in my classroom.  I am excited to share new methods of incorporating technology in the classroom, and look forward to your comments!