Do Web Tools Interfere with Collaborative Learning?

Raleigh Werberger writes about using old-school strategies to help his students understand how dependent they have become using Edtech tools to learn and collaborate.  I especially liked the section about the power of Post-it Notes and what he asked the students to do with them.  Excellent and I highly recommend the following article to all teachers, tech savvy or not.


Using Old Tech ( Not Edtech ) to Teach Thinking Skills.  Raleigh Werberger.  01.28.15.  Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/old-tech-teach-thinking-skills-raleigh-werberger

Do We Need to Teach Conversational Skills?

Subtitle, "Students' reliance on screens for communication is detracting - and distracting - from their engagement in real-time talk." is the focus of this article.  That concept is important, I believe for many students in many populations depending on devices to communicate.  This article is excellent and should be read by most teachers.  My question, however, given the nature of our Title I population living in poverty is, "Do our students have personal communication devices to use?  This is a balancing act we teachers need to take - teach digital communication skills, but not forgetting conversation.  Both are equally important in the real world.  How would you conduct a job interview without good conversational skills? Would you get that job? 

My Students Don't Know How to Have a Conversation. Paulo Barnwell. 4.22.14.  The Atlantic-Education
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/04/my-students-dont-know-how-to-have-a-conversation/360993/

Sir Ken Robinson Talks About Curiousity & Creativity

Don't miss this video.  Again Sir Ken Robinson talks about American education.  This speech focuses on how our system is based on conformity and testing and neglects the qualities of diversity, curiosity, and creativity.  Excellent!

Sir Ken Robinson:  How to Escape Education's Death Valley.  Katrina Schwartz. 5.28.13.  Mind/Shift
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/05/sir-ken-robinson-how-to-escape-educations-death-valley/

Tips to Shift to 21st Century Learning

As teachers we are part of a learning community shifting to higher standards and expectations demanded by school boards, state and national standards. Our school communities include  administrators, supervisors, fellow teachers, and parents. Our Title I services understand these connections and make every attempt to communicate our programs and student achievement. We also provide dynamic parental involvement and professional development activities. 
         This article, aimed at classroom teachers (experienced and new), discusses needed changes in instructional mindsets we have to cultivate. Although our Title I services is a targeted assistance model, there is much to learn.  Supervisors and principals will benefit also from these ideas.  Our schools need to be on the same page so that others will notice we are in a 21st Century school.

Changing Instructional Mindsets for the 21st Century.  William Tolley. 12.17.13.  Education Week Teacher - Premium Article
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/12/17/ctq_tolley_tech.html?tkn=VLCCsF1OFPedkFxK58fyW4ThbO0szqYrdWiv&cmp=clp-sb-ascd
Note: Please read the interesting background of the author, William Tolley, at the end of the article.

How are Recent Graduates Doing in the Real World?

Pew Research recently reported that recent graduates (2005-2011) are super in digital literacy but in the workplace they have difficulty solving 'informational problems,' such as researching competitors, planning a conference, or looking up tax regulations.  Solving these problems - essentially synthesizing and analyzing - is becoming more and more important.  New hires seem to depend on "Google-ing it."  The solution to this prevailing problem seems to lie with new hires paired with veterans, a practice seen in teaching where we have mentors and coaches to help new teachers.

What other solutions can you offer help young people during their school years?  Share you ideas in Comments.

Can the Digital Generation Do Anything Right?  Jason Tomassini. 11.12.12.  Education Week - Market Place.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/2012/11/can_the_digital_generation_do_anything_right.html?cmp=ENL-II-NEWS2

Essential Skills For HS Graduation

Read this article written by an educator for 37 years including the superintendent of Fayette County Schools in Kentucky.  What he has to say about preparing students for the real world is quite amazing.  Academic skills take a back seat to 21st Century Skills.  He observes this shift going on in schools after they have listened to employers tell them "Spend your energy bringing us more workers that have these skills.  We can teach them the knowledge needed to do the job."  Danville Independent Schools has 11 essential skills that need mastery before high school graduation.  Not one skills is strictly academic.  They are 21st Century with acadmic knowledge embedded within.

Are We Really Getting Them Ready?  Stu Silberman. 11.7.13.  Education Week - Public Engagement & Ed Reform
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/engagement_and_reform/2013/11/we_arent_really_getting_them_college_and_career_ready.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS3

No Tech - Collaboration & Critical Thinking

Collaboration and critical thinking are college and career-ready skills, but they are not about technology.  This teacher explains collaboration and how he provides students with protocols for brainstorming, decision making and accountability - all habits of collaboration.  Next, the author advises teachers to improve their questioning to go beyond surface level questions to encourage critical thinking.  Read to find out how.

Teaching Collaboration and Critical Thinking, Tech-Free.  Ben Curran. 7.31.13.  Education Week Teacher - Premium Article
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/07/30/tln_curran_collaboration.html?tkn=OOZFG4Wm9BGgCLjNpFSmQeA%2BRH%2F47kF9iK%2BZ&cmp=ENL-TU-NEWS2

The 21st Century Skills Framework - Visualize it!

To help all of us understand how and why 21st Century Skills are important in school environments, a close look at this graphic from Partnership For 21st Century Skills will put them into perspective.
Underneath the graphic are downloadable pdf files as well as links to specific skills and their corresponding student outcomes and support systerms.
In addition to this informational graphic, feel free to explore other tabs on the website to learn more.

Framework for 21st Century Learning.  Partnership for 21st Century Skills website. Current.
http://www.p21.org/overview

What Does it Mean to be Career Ready"

This article brings clarity to "college and career ready," the phrase we hear repeated over and over again.  There are several embedded links that are quite informative as well.  I'll list the author's 4 broad skills, but please read the article carefully for further specifics.
1.  Adaptability
2.  Communications
3.  Technology
4.  Workplace Experience

Teachers of middle and high schoolers should find this a high priority read.  Our 21st Century Skills and HOTS focus in our Title I classes should give the students some progress in advancing these skills.  Specific areas could make for a beneficial discussion with your students.
Have you had some of these discussions already?  What have you learned?  Have your students learned?

What It Means to Be Career Ready.  Anthony Jackson. 10.19.12. Education Week. - Global Learning
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2012/10/what_it_means_to_be_career_ready.html?cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS2

Taking Ownership for "Our" or "Their" Goals

Taking responsibility for one's own learning is a key part of 21st Century Skills, but the key word in the article title is "OUR."  As we discuss MAP test scores and other classroom goals with our Title I students we need to make sure those goals are also the student's goals.  If not, then taking responsibilty for them will not be taken seriously.  Sometimes we adults -  teachers and parents - determine the goals and wonder why the kids aren't taking responsibility for them.  Read this article and see what can be done to remedy these situations.  If you are a parent, you'll find this useful too.
Share you thoughts....as teachers....as parents.

The Responsibility Myth:  Asking Kids to "Own" Our Choices.  Bob Sullo. 10.3.12. The Whole Child Blog - ASCD
http://www.wholechildeducation.org/blog/the-responsibility-myth

What Does a Good Citizen Look Like Today?

The celebration of the 225th anniversay of the signing of the U.S. Constitution was held in Philadelphia on Sept. 17. What does it mean today all these years later to be a productive citizen in the United States.  That National Conference on Citizenship, National Constitution Center, and Partnership for21st Century Skills is exploring changes and  how best to prepare young people to meet modern-day challenges.  The authors note the many ways things have not changed.  People grapple with many of the same things today that they did 225 years ago.

The partnership outlines 4 key 21st century skills and competencies that are needed. 

* Knowledge of economic and political processes.
* Skill in understanding what is presented in the media.
* The ability to work well with others, especially diverse groups.
* Creativity and innovation to solve problems in new ways.

How are we doing in Title I to promote these skills?  Share some things you have done.

Op-ed:  What citizenship means for the 21st century.  9.17.12 Kellogg & Herczog. Philly.com
http://articles.philly.com/2012-09-17/news/33903628_1_21st-century-competencies-basic-skills-civic-education

What Does 21st Century Education Look Like Today?

Adam Bellow writes that we cannot completely define a 21st Century Skills Set just yet. [There are 87 years to go in the century he jokes.] We see shifts  and questions rather than answers. He says no one-size fits-all education solution can or will work for our 21st century citizens.
(Adam Bellow, founder of eduTecher and eduClipper, was recognized in 2011 as Outstanding Young Educator of the Year by the International Society for Technology in Education.

Here are some observations Bellow notices...

• Educators are not only those in front of the room.
• Students are the key stakeholder in their education.
• Education as a "system" is a 20th century model.
• Learning can occur at any time and anywhere.
• 20th Century educators were used to resources in boxes or taken from the "tried & true" manual.
• 21st Century education needs to be based on connectedness to information.  That may or may not include technology.
• The larger classroom is without boundaries just like the larger world, tangibly and socially.

Interesting to read. And yes, we don't have all the answers. What are the questions you see? Pose them in Comments.

Seeds of Change in 21st-century education. Adam Bellow. 6.25.12 SmartBrief-SmartBlog on Education.
http://smartblogs.com/education/2012/06/25/seeds-change-21st-century-education/

Teamwork Isn't Easy So How Do We Help Our Students?

This is a great article to understand team work when we adults aren't very good at it ourselves.  Peter DeWitt describes typical roles that adults play when working on teams.  They aren't necessarily static, but people are different in the way they approach working together.
DeWitt names typical roles as the...

• Consensus builder
• Task master
• The Thinker
• Laidback
• Focused Participant

As adults we realize working in coherent teams is not easy and we need to let our students know there is strength in working with people who are different.  There is more of a chance to learn when students challenge one another, bringing the team up to a higher level.
Lots to think about as we encourage teamwork in our Title I classes.  How have you managed teamwork in the past?  What worked?  What didn't?  How might you change the process this year?

How to Get Kids to Work as a Team If the Adults Around Them Can't.  Peter DeWitt. 8.18.12, Education Week - Finding Common Ground
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2012/08/how_to_get_kids_to_work_as_a_team_if_the_adults_around_them_cant.html?cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS2

What do 21st Century Skills Really Mean?

This important report from the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science in Washington has identified 3 categories of 21st Century Skills..... 

• Cognitive Skills,
• Interpersonal Skills,
• Intrapersonal Skills. 

The questions we need to ask revolve around how schooling (including T1) can develop them. Conversely, how do we discourage them? How can we as teachers help our students develop these important skills, especially the last two?  How do we unintentionally discourage this development?
This article is very insightful partly because it takes the skills into real world application.  Important for all of us to consider.  Ideas anyone?

Study: '21st-Century Learning' Demands Mix of Abilities. Sarah D. Sparks. 7.10.12 Education Week-Inside School Research