Developing Technology Skills

It amazes me that I didn't know what a Wiki really was a few short months ago and that I felt that blogging was something that people did who had too much time on their hands! This course has allowed me to explore technologies that I did not understand in ways that made them very user friendly and also allowed me to begin exploring how I could integrate them into my classroom. I am amazed at the power of blogging and Wiki-ing and wish that I was more tech savvy when I first started teaching over five years ago. The things I could have taught my students....oh well now I am looking forward and get excited for all that there is to come.

I hope to further expand my knowledge of podcasting and video editing to add depth and understanding to the Wiki we have created in my grade 9 class. I also would like to be able to be more efficient at linking with various sites on my blog. I know that if I do these two things my students will have more access to more knowledge and of course this will allow them to dig deeper and question more about what they are learning.

One goal I have to transform my classroom is to continue to create the wiki space for the grade 9 Integrated Science CXC course so that all of our classroom material is accessible to anyone on the web. The goal is that this site will help other students who have limited resources in the Caribbean to experience the science course and all of its labs and assignments thoroughly. The Wiki of course will become a place where knowledge can be added, changed or deleted depending on the findings of the students, as well as current events and knowledge. The class that I currently have is starting on this path and with them I hope to have the first draft finished by the end of this school year.

The second goal that I have is to do different things, not just do the same things differently. This saying really stuck out for me during this course and I feel as though it is a guiding motto for my classroom and my teaching style. I realize that I have to work within the confines of my curriculum and that my students still need to write standardized tests and do well on them. But this is no longer going to confine me and the integration of 21st century skills in my classroom. I am going to start with the curriculum and ask the students where we can go with it. Collaborate with the students and utilize their skills and understanding so that we can tap into the world at large for our learning. One major way that I am planning to facilitate this is through the removal of textbooks from my classroom. I plan to slowly decrease my reliance on them this year and by next year I hope to be textbook free which will force me to look beyond my classroom walls.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

My initial reaction to the Partnership for the 21st Century Skills website (www.21stcenturyskills.org) was "this is fantastic, look at all the innovative and forward thinking groups that have come together to try and get education moving forward and keeping pace."
It actually shocked me that there are such clearly laid out 21st century skills that need to be taught. I had previously generalized 21st century skills as technology and internet based skills, and then with our readings and DVD's this week I added to that group work, leadership etc. But to have a checklist and guide like you do in the MILE guide is very impressive and somehow makes things feel more attainable. I am a big fan of checklists so the layout of this really fits for me.
Upon further exploration of the site I was really taken by the fact that there are so many businesses associated with this process...of course this is one of the 21st century skills, collaboration and looking beyond educators and towards businesses for partnerships in learning so I guess I shouldn't' have been surprised but I was.
Implications for my students and myself including a more focused and goal oriented push towards developing 21st century skills both for my students and for myself as a teacher. I will definitely be using this resource and bringing it to the attention of my principal and our country as a whole. Rather than focusing on getting more technology into the classroom as a broad based initiative, this website allows us to define what we need and why we need it!
I will also be using the resources provided through the website on Route 21 for innovative lesson plans and ideas. I think the 21st Century educational technology and learning blog, for example (http://21centuryedtech.wikispaces.com/), would have been very helpful for me this week in teaching my students about American Thanksgiving!
I am excited to explore more and more on the Route 21 section of the website.

How to bring blogs into my classroom

I am currently teaching part time at a small private school in St.Kitts called SKI academy http://skiacademy.shutterfly.com/ and am fortunate enough to be able to interact with all levels at the school on a weekly basis. The age group that I am drawn to initially use blogs with is the grade 7/8 level for a few reasons. From a ease of use standpoint, I know that this classroom has access to laptops for each of their students on a daily basis (most students have their own and there are school laptops for those that forget), also the students at this level are used to utilizing the computers on a more regular basis so there will be fewer technological gliches (I hope). Also I feel as though these students would embrace this type of learning quickly and I know they will show me a thing or two about blogging once they have been on for a few hours!
The project that I propose to do with them relates to their history class. I would like for them to create individual blogs and complete a jigsaw type of activity. Each of the students will be responsible for becoming an expert on a different area of the history curriculum and (I will be a part of this as well) then create a blog to demonstrate their knowledge. Then each of the other students will be responsible for visiting the blog and digesting the knowledge and any questions or comments they have will be directed towards the student who created the blog. At the end of this assignment all students are responsible for all of the material that has been shared by each of the students. Of course there will be outlines of what is pertinent information, rubrics for blogging as well as content etc.
This is a new version of the old idea of researching a topic and then creating a poster board demonstrating your knowledge or a power point presentation demonstrating your knowledge. With the use of the blog students will be able to include links to great pictures, videos or interactive sites that are relevant to their topic and because their post will be on the internet they will no doubt take great care to post well thought out and well researched information. As Kathy Martin said in the Spotlight on Technology (this weeks DVD) students will have to be taught how to write so that others can read their writing and so that they can respond to fellow classmates. This will be not only a project focused on St.Kitts history, but it will encompass blogging skills, writing skills, presentation skills, communication skills, and life skills.

Impact of Technology in my World

This is my third blog in as many weeks! I am feeling rather technologically sophisticated for once in my life. I enjoyed created a blog for my second Masters course so much that I made one to communicate with all of my friends and family back in Canada and learned how to include pictures and videos as well. Now this blog is also for school, but I am looking forward to learning how to add RSS feeds and other interesting things. Like they say practice makes perfect, so maybe after another fifty hours of playing on here I will be able to perfect the art of blogging (until some other new software comes along hahaha).