Sunday, November 29, 2009

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/

This is an excellent and exciting website to become aware of the 21century agenda. The Mission statement and Goals of the organization are as follows:

MISSION STATEMENT
Serve as a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders

TWENTY FIRST CENTURY CHILDREN
Every child in America needs 21st century knowledge and skills to succeed as effective citizens, workers and leaders in the 21st century.

There is a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces.

To successfully face rigorous higher education coursework, career challenges and a globally competitive workforce, U.S. schools must align classroom environments with real world environments by infusing 21st century skills.

This skills set includes:

* Information and communication skills (information and media literacy skills; communication skills)
* Thinking and problem-solving (critical thinking and systems thinking; problem identification, formulation and solution; creativity and intellectual curiosity)
* Interpersonal and self-direction skills (interpersonal and collaborative skills; self-direction; accountability and adaptability; social responsibility)
* Global awareness
* Financial, economic and business literacy, and developing entrepreneurial skills to enhance workplace productivity and career options
* Civic literacy


One of the areas which stood out for me was the global initiative. If this was taken up by school districts in Texas alone it would change the dynamics of education in the southern region as we know it.


Global Awareness

* Using 21st century skills to understand and address global issues
* Learning from and working collaboratively with individuals representing diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and open dialogue in personal, work and community contexts
* Understanding other nations and cultures, including the use of non-English languages



I am on board with this progressive program as I can see the vision of it founders and the importance it has on the 21 century learners. Please visit and place your comments to this blog.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Blogging in the classroom

As a 6th grade math and science instructor, I could use blogging to filter content knowledge videos from youtube or other interactive websites. Students could share information about different subject matter and researched based projects. Blogging is an excellent way to build and follow each student as they advance throughout their educational career.

Patience is Virtue

I'm new to this blogging thing so have patience with me. I will be updating my blog at least once per week. I'm looking forward to sharing life's challenges with everyone.. peace