A Review of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Website

A review of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website:

This website looks like a great resource for those who are attempting to educate today's students in a way that prepares them for the world they will enter as adults.

The mission of this partnership is "to serve as a catalyst to position 21st century readiness at the center of US K12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community, and government leaders" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2014).

This web site is valuable because it represents hundreds of hours of research.  It brings the results of that research into the public eye.  Although it is extremely detailed and therefore a bit overwhelming to read, the information is important.  I chose to subscribe to the blog in hopes that I might get more bite-sized pieces to consider in my teaching.

It surprised me to see that the members of this partnership have taken the time to give examples of school projects for every core subject area, which demonstrate the type of learning they are trying to promote.  There are also resources indicating how 21st Century standards connect with Common Core State Standards.

I did not find any parts that I disagreed with, however there were conflicting ideas that came to mind when I imagined this being introduced in schools.  Many experienced educators have seen the "pendulum" swing back and forth during their careers.  One example is math: first the students memorized facts.  Then schools began to value learning by investigation, focusing on the process more than the product.  This produced creative thinkers who did not know how to add quickly, and did not do well on standardized tests.  The result was a swing back toward memorization, or what many would call common sense math.  I see the ideas behind 21st Century Learning as more nuanced and sophisticated than a pendulum swing, but it would take much study and careful reading of the content to understand how all components are addressed in daily teaching.

I think that good teachers need to meet the goals of both aspects: strong knowledge of the core subjects and the ability to problem solve, communicate, collaborate, and be creative.  It takes a lot of work and preparation to integrate the two into daily learning for the students, but this needs to be the goal of every teacher who desires to prepare young minds for their future.  This web site is promoting exactly that sentiment and is a wonderful resource for teachers and administrators.  I plan to learn more as I read the blog updates in the future.

“The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.” The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. .

What good is a Blog?

Blogging is a buzzword in some education circles right now.  Many teachers find the concept intriguing, but want to know: how will this help my classroom and my students?

As a veteran blogger, I have used several approaches to classroom blogging and there have been benefits to each.

The Occasional Update

When I first started blogging, I only updated about every two weeks.  I used the blog as a place to publish pictures and descriptions of activities.  I sent home a slip of paper each time the blog was updated, inviting parents to view the post.

The Student-Authored Blog

One of my favorite blogging experiences was when I introduced my students to Kidblog.  I was inspired by a local tech-savvy colleague, who already had her Kindergarteners blogging.  I knew if they could do it, my students could too!  After much research, I discovered the idea of paper blogging.  This offline, yet very visual study of what blogging looks and feels like was a great way to begin teaching digital citizenship before my students actually ventured into cyberspace.  When the students were ready for the real thing, we used our curriculum's already-established writing assignments and submitted them on Kidblog.  Students made thoughtful comments and began to explore the back-and-forth communication that defines the online, collaborative world.  This has been my favorite type of blogging to date, and I will definitely pursue this again if I return to the classroom in the future.

The Information Center

A classroom blog can be an information hub that parents and students love to visit regularly.  As a teacher, my purpose for blogging changed when I discovered (in "Gadgets" for Blogger) that I could have parents subscribe via email.  Over 75% of the parents had email and checked it regularly, so I began updating several times per week.  My posts varied to include announcements, reminders, and celebrations of classroom events and accomplishments.  I printed each post to send home with families that did not have access.  Parents responded with positive comments about how connected they felt to our classroom and how much it changed their conversations with their child about school.

The Communication and Learning Tool

Now that I am in a new role as a Technology Integration Specialist, I have started a new blog for that purpose.  My blog is now directed toward the teachers in my district.  I post once or twice per week, presenting ideas and tips.  I purposely keep the content short and include pictures.  Some posts continue into lengthy explanations (to be read by teachers that desire to learn more about that topic).  I know that a teacher's time is valuable, and they need to know by reading the title or first few lines of the post whether the content is relevant for their needs.

The Guide for other Teachers

I have never authored this type of blog, but I follow many who do.  Matt Gomez and Erin Klein are two of my favorites.  Their websites offer regular tips, examples, and links to help the rest of us in our technology integration journey.

Blogging has been an integral tool in my classroom for connecting with parents, providing information, and helping students become good digital citizens.  By blogging, a class joins and connects with parents and students in the digital arena.

Have you tried blogging?  What has been successful for you?