Wednesday, November 25, 2009

21st Century Teaching

When I first investigated the 21st century website I thought it was a well designed movement that partners up business and education into a solid force. I was a bit disheartened to discover that there are not many states who participate in this initiative. The skill set was clearly defined as to what students need to be 21st century learners. One state missing for me was Michigan which led me on my journey to see what type of technology standards my state possess. All I could find from mi.gov website was a link to what 21st century teachers should know and this can be found at http://21things.weebly.com/ .Needless to say I was not overly impressed compared to what I read on the 21st century website.

I was particularly impressed with the companies that have partnered with education to join forces in this effort. Many of these companies are the same companies that supply technology or aid in the technological advancements in the world of education. I did not disagree with anything that I saw on the site at this time. I am fairly new to digesting the concepts of 21st century education and the components that it encompasses.

It is apparent to me that based on the content of the 21st century partnership movement my support of students should encompass a more collaborative approach that utilizes problem solving skills and encourages creative and innovative thinking at all levels. My students will need to take ownership of their learning and work in conjunction with me as an educator to progress in their journey of becoming a life long learner.

I have also posted a video that I think appropriately addresses our roles as educators. I found it concise and enjoyable.










Tuesday, November 10, 2009

How to use blogs in the Classroom

The ways one could use blogs in the classroom is really dependent on how creative the blog creator wants to be. I think blogs would be used in a variety ways to deliver information, socialize or connect to people with similar interests. I created a blog about four years ago for elementary students to use to keep academic skills sharpened over the summer. I set up activities for students to complete each week which included academic, gross motor and a recipe to make which may or may not have been food related. The students were offered an incentive to complete the activities each week and they had to post at the end of the week in regards to what they thought about the activity or how they used the activity. I didn't have a strong showing I think only about ten students participated all the way through. At the beginning of the school year each student who successfully completed the activities were given gift cards to stores around the area.

At the elementary level, I would like to set up a blog where students would go and discuss different genera they were reading in their guided reading groups. I would like to expand this notion and develop a book club type of blog where students could go and talk about specific parts of chapter books they are reading. I may post guiding questions to help develop the discussion threads.

I think that blogging this way will help students develop a deeper understanding of course material or questioning skills. I am a teacher consultant/intervention teacher at the elementary level and I hope blogging would allow me to connect children to a deeper level of thinking. My rational is for this thought is that students are already exposed to various forms of media and technology I would like to develop skills that would allow students to further develop their academic skills in the area of reading.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Technology Overload

Hello all- I found this funny video and felt that sometimes it describes my life to a "T". Anyway it provides some humor to a technically advanced life:) Enjoy.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Hello All and welcome to my blog. I am very excited to connect to people who are using the same avenues to discover all technology has to offer to the students in front of us.
A little about me is that currently I am a teacher consultant from Michigan. I love spending time with my two children and wonderful husband. I am excited to begin this educational journey toward my Masters degree. Take care and blog with you later :)