Evaluating 21st Century Skills - http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/

The Partnership for 21st Century Skill's website was a very user friendly site. This site was created to bring together the business and the education communities in oder to find ways to implement these skills into the education arena. The site was easy to navigate and gave detailed information on what this partnership is all about and what it can actually do for our students. I think everyone should take a look at this site.

It surprised me to see that there were only 10 states who have implmented the programs with state initatives. I would have thought that it would be more than just 10. I really didn't disagree with anything on the site. With our class studying and creating blogs, I would have thought that there would be some sort of blog or online chat forum discussing the pros and cons of implemening these skills into each state's curriculum.

These skills are very important skills that lead to lifelong learning. I think each state should implement these skills, but in their own time. Every state is not as fortunate as others, and therefore may not have the resources available to use. These skills will bring about a sense of self-direction and professionalism that students will take with them for the rest of their lives. As teachers, even if your state doesn't have a state initative, we could find a way to incorporate one skill or more at a time. Each skill learned will be beneficial to our students as they enter the workforce of the 21st century.

My Content Area

I teach 5th - 8th grade Computer Literacy, Keyboarding, and Computer Applications. I think blogs are a good tool for instructional context if used properly. It can be very beneficial to students to be able to express their feelings about a particular subject without being criticized in the classroom for voicing their opinion.

Utilizing Blogs in the Classroom

I have only used blogs once before this class. My sisters and I set up a blog to keep in touch with each other since we all live in different states. We saw that the blog was a quicker way to keep in contact do to our busy schedules. This is my first time using blogs in an educational setting. In keeping up with society and technology, blogs can be used in the classroom to increase class participation. The majority of all of our students has a computer now and is technology literate to the point of being able to communicate with a class in an educational and professional manner. Using a blog gives them the ability to not be shy or uncomfortable from getting up in front of a large crowd to speak. Teaching middle school, I would definitely utilize them in a controlled, private setting with parental supervision. Today, teachers teach their students effectively in many different ways.

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