For my Integrating Technology in the Classroom degree I am required to review the website http://21stcenturyskills.org. I am required to review the website and give my thoughts on what I liked about the website, what surprised me, what I disagreed with on the website, and what implications I see for my students and for myself. The website had an abundance of information to review and analyze. Overall the website contained information that was useful to educators.

My reaction to the website Partnership for 21st Century Skills was that I thought it was great. This website had an overabundance of information on why teachers need to adapt their instruction to the 21st workplace. I was impressed by the numerous articles that showed the difference between the modern classroom and the modern workplace. Dr. Thornburg discussed how much businesses looked for employees that were familiar with online collaboration (Laureate Education 2008). The site was excellent for any teacher looking for comparisons between the modern workplace and the classroom.

Looking over the website, I was surprised at the numerous businesses that were members of the website. This showed that they were invested in education and wanted employees that were familiar with technology. I was also surprised that there was any content that was free to download. This site would be very important for any educator looking for what business wanted their future employees to be familiar with.

There was not much that I disagreed with with on the website. One thing in particular was there support for standardized testing. I believe that they meant standardize testing that tested for 21st century skills. Current standardized testing of today does not test any skills that workers need for the 21st century. I need to investigate this further.

The implications for educators and students is that we need to begin implementing 21st century technology today. We are obviously lagging behind the business world and I need to be able to prepare my students for their future workplace. This means that teachers may have to get out of their "comfort zone" to help students become productive citizens. Teachers should look for professional development in technology so that they can prepare their students for the 21st century workplace. Students should be prepared for a new classroom that will prepare them to become productive workers in the 21st century and allow them to seamlessly integrate into the workplace.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2008. Spotlight on Technology: Collaboration through Wikis [Motion picture]. Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. Baltimore: Author.

Using Blogs in the Classroom

I teach 9th grade World Geography and 12th grade Economics and Government. I think that a blog is a good tool for instructional content because it allows for students to interact with one another outside of the classroom. It also lets them display their work for people all over the Internet to see. It gives students a chance to give their opinions and think about them for a while before they post. This is unlike giving abrupt opinions in the classroom where they do not have time to gather their thoughts and edit them. It also gives them the chance to use technology that they are familiar with and makes the content that I teach them more relevant because it allows them to use a form of expression that is up to date and savvy. I would use a blog in my classroom to post rubrics for assignments so that students would always have access to them for their assignments. I would post assignments and reminders so that students would be able to stay up to date with class work even if they are absent. I would also allow students blog about particular lesson ad give opinions they may be afraid to give face to face and this would allow me to cater to their needs more. I think blogs in my classroom would allow students to come out of their shells and become more responsive and participate more than they would in class.

First Blog

I have recently started a graduate program for Integrating Technology in the Classroom. I have to set up this blog as one of the requirements. I am new to this and would love any suggestions that anyone would have to help me with this process.