Partnership for 21st Century Skills

My initial reaction to this website was to feel a bit overwhelmed, but after taking some time to digest the material I found myself more interested in concepts presented. Reading through the graphic and skills definitions, I have to agree with the necessity to incorporate the 21st Century Skills framework into current framework. I think the biggest obstacle districts will face is the ability to adapt a 21st Century Skills curriculum without changing NCLB guidelines and obtaining necessary funding to upgrade schools to the 21st Century.

I was very surprised to find out in 2008, Iowa became the 7th state to pledged their support to developing a framework for 21st century learning outcomes. This surprises me because I do not recall learning anything about this during my undergraduate work. I obtained my degree in December of 2008 and while we studied the standards that included technology, the standards were not as detailed as the framework given on the 21st Century Skills web page. I am not sure if this is due to the fact that I am an Elementary education major and currently this initiative is for grades 9-12. However, this does concern me because according to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills web page for Iowa, they declare that this initiative is to eventually encompass K-12.

I really did not find anything that I disagree with, however I was a bit unhappy about the resources I found. Most sent me to links where it was necessary to purchase items. I did like the skills maps they offered which gave examples of lessons and assessments starting in 4th grade.

The initiative in Iowa, as well as other states, will mean that students will have an opportunity to better understand expectations of the workplace post graduation. As a teacher, I will have to make sure that my technology skills are up to par. I cannot teach what I myself don't understand.

Using Blogs in the Elementary Classroom

Currently, I am an elementary substitute teacher; consequently, I currently would not use a blog with students. Therefore, I will base my blog and discussion on the grade level that I would like to teach – 3rd grade.

I would use the blog to have students respond to literature. Since our district does not provide enough computers for each student, I would use this as a workstation that is integrated into my reading/writing block. Most of the classrooms that I am familiar with in my district have 2-3 student computers per classroom, so I feel that students could rotate into the workstation once or twice a week, as well as having the ability to post from outside of the classroom.

At this workstation, students would post a blog about the book they are independently reading. I would integrate the mini-lessons – albeit setting, characters, main idea, plot, whatever we are concentrating on – into the workstation as to what students would blog about.

Doing so would allow me to respond to students to probe deeper, making them think critically about their responses. It would give me artifacts to demonstrate their growth and would allow feedback and conversation from both within and outside of the classroom.

Currently, my daughter (a 6th grader) reads every night and has to write a letter weekly to her teacher about what she is reading. This strategy is common in our district with 3rd grade and up. By replacing writing letters in a journal with blogging, I have a greater opportunity to respond quicker and more often, and students have a greater audience from which to receive feedback.

About Me

Hi! My name is Janice O'Brien and I am currently an elementary substitute teacher in Des Moines, IA. I graduated from Upper Iowa University with honors in December of 2008. I began this journey in the summer of 2003 and did about half of my college classes online through Des Moines Area Community College before transferring to Upper Iowa.

I am lucky to be married to my wonderful husband, Rob, who, along with my two children, have sacrificed much and always supported me while I pursue my goals. I have spent most of the second semester of last school year as a sub and I feel that my goal of being a classroom teacher is just beyond my reach. However, I am not giving up and thus decided in May to embark on my current journey of taking graduate classes.
 

My interest in teaching began as a child when I experienced the joys of learning from a wonderful teacher. Then in 1999, I was hired by the school district as a Special Education Associate. I worked with students who have Autism and Down's Syndrome. One student that I worked closely with for three years was my inspiration to go back to school to get my teaching degree. I have a gift that he gave to me at the end of the last year I worked with him and this gift will be the first item I place in my classroom.
 

I am interested in the technology aspect and the opportunities educators have with integrating it into their curriculum. As an associate, I was often called on by teachers and administration to assist implementing technology into the classroom and throughout my undergraduate work, I included technology, some of which was adapted by teachers I worked with, into my lessons.