New Year - New Learning

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn."  ~John Cotton Dana

Here we go.... are you ready?  The 2011-2012 school year has started.  We know that the world is getting smaller and the students we are welcoming into our classrooms are a different generation.  They are digital citizens - always "plugged in" to some type of device (cellular phones, handheld gaming devices, PDAs, computers, TVs, and game consoles).  We, the teachers of this generation, have been given the challenge to prepare these students for the world outside our classrooms - the 21st Century.  This means teaching and integrating a new set of skills into our curriculum.... 21st Century Skills.
Our district has identified 21st Century Skills as one of the four priorities in the strategic plan:  Emphasize 21st Century instructional practices which foster student academic engagement.

Engagement?  What are our students engaged in?
Our students are engaged in electronic media for more than six hours a day, on average.  They are multitasking by listening to music while surfing the Web and watching television or texting friends while playing a video game and downloading new applications for their iPad.  Even preschoolers easily navigate these electronic devices, multimedia resources and the Internet.

What are these 21st Century Skills?

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Collaboration (locally, nationally, internationally)

Communication (as well as accessing and analyzing information)

Creativity (sparking curiosity and imagination)

To learn more about 21st Century Skills, visit the following sites:

21st Century Fluencies

Partnership for 21st Century Skills