Reaction to the website-
My initial reaction to the website was not good. I didn't like how it was organized and found it cumbersome to find what I was looking for. After going through the different categories and items as well as links listed in them, I found some very valuable resources.
Information on the site that surprised me or was helpful in understanding the issues surrounding 21st century skills-
The graphic explaining the site in regards to core curriculum subjects incorporating the 4 C's; creativity/innovation, critical thinking/problem solving, communication, and collaboration, along with assessments, curriculum instruction, professional development, and learning environments was helpful to see as an overview. Some of the things that were also helpful were links to ideas for teaching, videos of technology integration, webcasts, webinars, communication resources including mindtools, as well as the solution tree giving ideas for the igeneration. I was impressed with the eduvision videos and the fact that you can use them in your teaching or add your own video to the site. The edtechdigest.com blog looked interesting and I plan to visit it again.
Things I disagreed with-
There wasn't much that I disagreed with in this site because it is merely a resource, and I wasn't expecting a great deal from it. I would of liked a general blog section on the issues of integrating technology in education. I also think it would of been nice to have a subject category section with more lesson examples for teachers that are new to this to help them get the creative ball rolling.
Implications for my students and me as an educator-
I think the implications for my students are that this is a fast changing world and if they are going to be successful they are going to need all of the help they can get. I think it means that along with working collaboratively they also have to be competitive in the skills they learn to be successful in the job market. For me as an educator, I think the implications are that education is changing in a big way. I think it is a path that needs to be embraced, and if done correctly can be very rewarding for students.
Michelle:
ReplyDeleteFor students to be successful in today's ever-changing society, we need to start implementing the 21st-century skills into our curriculum. I also realized that I need to get my students to working more collaboratively. I agree with you that education is changing in a big way and we had better be ready so we are giving them the best opportunity to succeed in more global world. Yes, the path needs to be embraced and I am ready to embrace it. Is school district ready for the 21st-century skills? I know our school is slowly starting but we do have a ways to go.
Lori
I feel like the founders of this organization expected that visitors would want to learn as much as possible and so they created a comprehensive site to answer as many questions as possible to gain "buy in" from its viewers. I will definitely visit this site time and time again to use as many resources as is available. Is it overwhelming? Yes, it is and I believe probably so because of our limited knowledge of how serious the implications are for our country's ability to regain a status of super power in a global economy.
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your statement on students being competitive in their skills. They will be competiting globally. I also think that this web site offers so many wonderful tools that we can use to benefit our students growth. Although the videos are not labeled well, I also see the possibility of teachers taking the initiative to tape themselves for professional analysis and growth. You made some great points.
Dreanna