21stcenturyskills.org

Our assignment this week was to provide our thoughts on the website that is the title of this posting. My initial assessment, I must admit that I have not read every word on the site, is that it is typical of websites that attempt to push a specific thought or opinion. It is very easy to find evidence that supports the viewpoints of those that created the site and difficult to find information that refutes their core beliefs. I don't fault these authors, anyone trying to further their viewpoints takes on the role of salesperson, but I do caution the reader on the logic that is used. To be honest I don't disagree with the initiatives pushed by the website, I am nervous about some of the logic. The authors point to a poll that showed 88% support for incorporating 21st century skills in the classroom. What they failed to mention is the motivation for answering in agreement that these are desired policies. What parent does not want their child to have the best environment possible? What parent does not want their child to have the most skills when they leave school? What is missing is the percentage of parents that are willing to pay for the technologies required to teach these skills. That statistic would show the percentage of parents that view 21st century skills as necessary and outweigh the cost. I believe that this number would be far lower than the 88% reported. My evidence is anecdotal in nature. In Ohio we as school districts require the voters to approve any budgetary increase. Time and again school tax levys are defeated, even when the proposed taxing are promised to support technology. In a press release dated January 23, 2009 21stcenturyskills.org makes the statement that schools cannot utilize technology appropriately without the proper skills and training. They say that this is the largest source of failure and not money. This training and support require money. For those districts that cannot afford technology they certainly cannot afford training.

I was surprised by resources presented on the website. By following the "Route 21" link the viewer is transported to a section that portrays the areas of 21st century learning as a rainbow of skills. Upon clicking on a section (I choose the core subject areas) you are taken to a list of a specific areas of interest and links to outside sources. I thought that these links would provide lessons that would enable my students to practice these 21st century skills. What I soon realized is that while some links might provide some lesson advice most of the links simply further argued for the inclusion of these skills in the classroom.

While the site presents a compelling arguement for the inclusion of 21st century skills in the curriculum it does not provide meaningful help in the implementation of these skills. As an educator that is pressed for time I find myself looking for resources that provide substantial material that can benefit my students. This website is geared towards encouraging educators. For that reason I feel this website is a valuable tool in convincing educators that change is needed but not so helpful in bringing these skills to my students.

Focus Time

When pressed for a focus for this blog space I come back to the central question, why do I want to use blogs? This question is good for both the classroom and my own personal life. I will pose this question to the reader. What benefit does blogging give to my students? What activities are better carried out in the blogging sphere than in any other medium? What objectives will my students achieve while blogging that they can't achieve conducting any other activity? Tell me your experiences, both good and bad. I am looking for tried and true methods that enhance student's learning and not simply add the element of technology.

What is this blog thing anyhow?

I suppose there is a bit of niavete in our development as educators. First of all, I assumed that a blog was simply a collection of thoughts written out for the world to see. I think this trouble comes from the word itself. Every connection that I have with the word blog leads me to someone page in which all they have is just that, their thoughts written on the screen for the world to see. If we change the word to something else the spectrum opens.

Instead of blogs lets use the word portals. "Portal" brings to mind an opening. In the case of an educaotr this opening can lead to colaboration, information sharing, accountability and a host of other education friendly terms. I have used such a portal for the last five years. It is a spot that I can post work, share the links of websites that are educational and exciting (yes, they do exist), and simply share why we are studying a certain topic. I have had tremendous success with this. Parents enjoy the collection of work that is available, students complain about the collection of work available (I know that deep down they like this access), and I like the ability to tell my students to check the site to get their missing work.

Traditional blogs might be useful to gather student responses to a variety of concepts. In my Honors Psychology class I typically have students conduct research about the topic at hand. This usually entails them going into the student body and interviewing unsuspecting victims about that topic. My students will then return to class armed with the results to tabulate their findings. These findings can then be added to the blog site and published for the world to see. (Great activity, it allows practice in communication skills, research, collaboration, and technical writing skills.)

Essentially blogs can be useful. I'm as shocked as you are! We need to be careful not to let our own connotations get in the way of quality teaching.

My Very First Blog

I have to say that I am little conflicted right now. For years I have hesititated to create a blog. The mere word "blog" sent chills down my spine. I imagined people who wanted the validation of others to solidify their ideas. If only someone would respond that they agreed with me! My mind is beginning to change somewhat. Looking at the people who have posted blog pages I have realized there are two main groups. Those bloggers that are experts in their fields that want to further their ideas and the rest of us. People who mean well, have interesting ideas, but ultimately do not have any expertise of their own. So we will see where this grand experiment will take us. Who knows, maybe your response will be the validation that sends me over the top.