Updated 21st Century Skills Response

These are my reactions to the website http://www.p21.org/:
*My reaction to the website:
I was impressed with the clearly defined goals set forth by the organization. I thought the website was laid out in an easy to navigate manner. The goals were clearly defined and logical.

*Information that suprised me:
My reaction to the website was one of surprise. As I read through the list of supporters for the partnership, I was impressed by the highly recognizable names. From Disney to Mcrosoft, the list of supporters immediately lent creadibility to this partnership. My attention was focused on the importance the corporate world is placing on these skills.

*Disagree:
I disagree with the push to create large-scale summative assessments. What would this type of assessment have on funding, additional pressure, socio-economic advantages, and more? 21st century skills are important for the sake of the children, and it is important that as an educator I am aware of the importance to include these practices (collaboration, higher level thinking, and more) in my teaching. I am also aware of the leverage that can take place with testing and its results, and I know that it can directly affect the school climate.

*What are the implications for my students and myself as an educator?
It becomes obvious that there needs to be some type of accountability for incorporating 21st century skills within the learning enviornment. If businesses have made educators aware of the expectations concerning the workplace, and we fail to deliver, than we are cheating our students out of the experiences we know that will help them succeed now and in the future.

21 Century Skills

The website http://www.p21.org/index.php has the mission of partnering with professionals to address the importance of 21st skills in the classroom. I was surprised by the list of businesses that made up the list of supporters. From Disney to Microsoft, the list of supporters immediately lends credibility to this partnership. I am impressed with the clearly defined goals set forth by the organization; however, I can’t say I totally agree with the push to create large-scale summative assessments. What would this type of assessment have on funding, perceived pressure, socio-economic advantages, and more? 21st century skills are important for the sake of the children and it is important that as an educator, I am aware of the importance to include these practices in my teaching.

Purposeful Blogging

A blog should be a tool to generate a sense of community by engaging the read/write component to Web 2.0. My goal in using a blog with students is to increase engagement surrounding content developed in the classroom. As a teacher of 4th grade students studying language arts and social studies, blogging can encourage students to higher order thinking skills as defined by Bloom's taxonomy. Students will need continued instruction in what a blog is and what it isn't. I will continue to use it as a way to engage my reader's in the thinking process involved in text. I would like to expand with links, places for my students to visit for research and various activities and then respond with feedback and thought-provoking dialogue.

Social Studies

What would you do if you were a slave considering escaping to freedom? Harriet Tubman has already helped 175 slaves to freedom - you could be the next success story! What decision would you make and why?

Reader's Theatre

Please share your thoughts on the Reader's Theatre performances!

GPS activity (Social Studies)

I want to know your thoughts on the GPS activity.

Reader's Response Journal

What is your favorite part of your reading, so far?

Welcome!

Welcome! I hope you enjoy posting to the 4th grade big backyard!

Ms. Shafer