The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

"Literacy in the 21st century means more than basic reading, writing and computing skills. It means knowing how to use knowledge and skills in the context of modern life."(Partnership for 21st Century Skills) Are we as educators preparing our students to not only be literate, but also to be employable? The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a group of major business education organizations that was specifically formed to address this. The partnerships' main goal is addressing the "profound gap between knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces." (Partnership for 21st Century Skills)
While some would argue that big business should stay out of education, I think it is one of the best things possible. Where else can we get firsthand knowledge of what employers are looking for in employees, are we not preparing students for the workplace? I found the information in The Partnership for 21st Century Skills valuable, concise and informative. As educators we must have a framework as described in this website to prepare and educate our students for tomorrow.
I was quite surprised that NC is one of the states that that is an active participating in The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Governor Mike Eisley supports this initiative whole heartedly. Since the major source of North Carolina's revenue was textiles, and we have lost much of these business, it is more important than ever than ever for NC to produce students who are technology literate and highly skilled in order to both create and fill positions in NC .
As an educator I am excited to have this map of the future in place. From an educator's standpoint, this is a perfect example of what we need to link business and education for the greater good of the student. As with any new idea, there are kinks and bumps to iron out. With school funding at an all time low, money to support the 21st Century Skills will be an issue. Hopefully, this will take precedence over less needed state money drainers such as standardized state testing models. While the Partnership for 21st Century Skills will be difficult and tedious to implement, I know it will be well worth the effort. As an educator, I try to project what my students will need in the future to become successful citizens, I feel this initiative will address may of those questions.

References
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/downloads/P21_Report.pdf

Classroom Ideas and Ponderings

I would like to create a blog on creative writing for my three 10Th grade composition classes. I have thought about a group effort essay, editing skills or essay add-on, in which each class would be responsible for a different part of the essay, then putting it all together. I also looked at giving my three classes a set of fifteen adjectives and let each student write a blog containing those words to see how many different stories can be written using the same words. I like this idea, as we are working on descriptive writing and how adjectives can change the entire tone of a story. The students would have instant access to each others work, rather than copies. I also like the idea, as the students could uses modeling, this really helps with my students who struggle with writing. These are a few of my ideas that incorporate what my lessons are for the next several weeks and I am trying to be a tech-know teacher and tie them in. I would also like to create a blog on "Angela's Ashes", the novel we are currently reading. My thoughts are to have a character "speak" about their viewpoint, rather than the authors. Another idea is from our text and have the students journal. I like the idea of a blog for these because it will be interactive and static. They can correspond to each other and while it is active learning, it will also be fun! So many ideas! I am going to narrow down these ideas and get input from some of the students.
Have any of you worked with creative writing and blogs? I would love to hear past experiences and other ideas regarding writing and use of novels!
have a great week...

A New Year, A New Way

One of the many great things about the New Year is that we get to review past promises to ourselves, create new ones and revise several others. This year my focus will be on integrating technology into my classroom. The first step is for me to educate myself, I am currently working on my Masters in Informational Technology. The next step is to research, what works and what does not. Is there a better way to find out than hear from others regarding their successes?
I currently teach tenth grade English in a small town in North Carolina. I teach composition and World Literature. Does anyone have suggestions regarding using technology in writing and grammar? I hope to gain from your expertise and look forward to hearing your input.
Have a great New Year!