A Partnership for 21st Century Learning

My first reaction to the Partnership for 21st Century Learning web site was one of relief. I know that sounds odd, but if you had to live with my husband you would understand. I love him dearly, don't get me wrong, but I am always getting interrogated about what my school is doing to effectively prepare his future employees. He works in the private business sector and as a businessman in charge of a large company, he wants some insurance that public education is truly preparing our students to function in the competitive business market of today. This web site demonstrates that business can be a catalyst for change in public education and influential in directing resources towards a common goal instead of just judging the end product as ineffective. I plan to spend the weekend sharing it's merits with my husband and reassuring him we are on the right track.

I was very impressed with the amount of information that is easily accessible with in the site. Not only do they clearly identify the specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies essential for our students to be successful in the modern workplace, but they also provide research articles, support systems, standards, assessments, and professional development to solidify their commitment to their mission. I was pleased to see that this site was not the brain-child of just another technology corporation looking to push a hidden agenda for large government contracts. When you look at the long list of members it includes a very diverse conglomerate of organizations which all are truly stakeholders in this mission in some shape or form.

I believe the Route 21 section of the site is an invaluable tool for educators wanting support and resources for bringing their classrooms into the 21st century. In just a short period of time I was able to locate information, resources, and a very relevant video, all tied into some of the vision I see for my classroom and my role as an art educator. Last year, I wrote a grant for implementing a "visual literacy" project and recieved funding from a local business. As it turns out it was motivated by a need for the same media literacy skills discussed at this resource. (http://www.edutopia.org/media-literacy-skills-video It is very affirming to have discovered that my instructional instinct for teaching these skills aligns with the mission of this organization. Maybe sharing this site with other local businesses will convince them to fund more grant projects that promote 21st century skills.

The only part of the site that I disagreed with was the page listed as Success Stories. When you go to this page you find no links, no articles, there is nothing. I disagree that there are no success stories. Maybe educators are just not aware that they are being successful at integrating 21st century skills successfully in the classroom. Hopefully the website just hasn't had time to up load all the stories yet.

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/

Blogging in the Elementary Art Room?

How could I use blogs in my art room? I could see setting up a blog for my students to create e-portfolios. I envision these portfolios not only displaying student art work but also reflective comments about their work and the work of others. I currently require students to share their work in a whole group setting and make oral comments. They love being in the limelight and becoming the expert. It is a wonderful teaching strategy but often it falls to the way side because we are so busy making art we run out of time. I believe a blog may allow my students to participate in this activity on a more consistent basis and learn quite a lot from each others comments.

I have seen examples of wonderful blogs set up for this very purpose but most of them were in a middle or high school setting. Can my elementary students handle it? Are they as motivated as middle and high school students by the whole social aspect of blogging? I believe that when I begin to use blogging, I will start it with my fifth graders and work my way down.

I believe that it is vital to spend time teaching the ground-work for this new experience in order to be successful. I recently read a fantastic post about introducing blogging to elementary students called "Blogging is Elementary!" by Kim Cofino. Even if you don't teach elementary aged students I think it is worth looking over. Kim breaks down her three years experience with introducing blogging into five lessons. They cover everything from becoming familiar with a blog, to safety and responsibility, and of course how to write good comments. All this is covered extensively before the student even gets to pick a user name.

I also recommend a look a series of posts made by Silvia Tolisano under the Top Ten Posts section of her blog. She also offers an extensive series of lessons for introducing good practice using blogs.

I feel with elementary students setting the stage for appropriate and responsible blogging is well worth the time and effort it will take. Start the good habits now. That is my impression.

The Journey Begins

I want to start my first blog entry by thanking my instructor, Mr. Smith ,for pushing me into this new adventure. It has been an interesting week exploring the world of blogging. I have come to see the advantages to participating in the Web 2.0 culture. Furthermore, I have been convinced of the advantages of utilizing these tools with my students.

This week started with some frustration over trying to locate an educational blog. The searching seems to be the hardest part but luckily I have found a few for me. My greatest find was Art Education 2.0, hosted by Craig Roland. This site concentrates on integrating technology in the art classroom. I have only begun to tap into the information available here. My blog entry on the site received some excellent comments which have been very useful. One of them was a link to another blog which I would like to share here. Check out the video about how blogging was used in a sixth grade classroom. It is very inspiring.

Dr. David Thornburg has convinced me that teachers need to consider using technology "to do different things" in the classroom. Using technology "to do things differently", is helpful and can be motivating for both our students and ourselves, but if we are to catch up with the technology curve we need to concentrate on altering our pedagogy and practices (Thornburg, 2008). I am looking forward to learning how to apply blogging in the classroom using new pedagogy along with safe and effective practices.

A thought to leave with you...... as I grow to become an advocate for using Web 2.0 applications in the classroom such as blogging, how can I effectively convince administrators, parents, and my school board of their importance? Thus lifting the great "block". Any thoughts?

That is my impression.

Thornburg, D. (2004). Technology and education: Expectations, not options. (Executive Briefing No. 401). Retrieved from http://www.tcpdpodcast.org/briefings/expectations.pdf