Why do we need to build 21st Century Classroom Skills with our Students?

21 st Century Skills – What Are We Really Talking About?

I’ve come to find that the term “21 st century skills” is a little like “family values”.  We’re all in favor of the idea; we’re just not always sure what we mean.  To me, 21st Century Skills means: critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and innovation, adaptability, collaboration, communication (written, oral and blended and advanced media), media literacy, self direction and self assessment, and application of technology to learned skills.
The application of 21 st century skills requires context.  In order to think critically, we must have knowledge we can bring to bear to a process or problem. Academic content must be integral to the learning process.  Contrary to some recent debates on the subject of 21st century skills, it is not a question of skills vs. content. The challenge is to merge the two into engaging, relevant learning experiences.
              

Using Podcasting to enhance Social Learning

Pod Casting for Students



Pod casting facilitates instruction in many K-12 (and collegiate level) settings. Dlott (2007) demonstrated pod casting's efficacy in teaching geography, history and poetry writing. Pod casting allowed for the inclusion of music and sound effects in teaching descriptive language, writing styles and oral expression. Pod casting also facilitated students' efforts to test the sound of their voices in a non-threatening way, causing Dlott (2007) to consider it an appropriate tool to develop effective communicators. Dlott's efforts combined pod casting with other digital technology tied to the internet.

Educational Blogging

Instructors are beginning to use blogs to replace the standard class Web page. Instructors post class times and rules, assignment notifications, suggested readings, and exercises within the blog.

Within the blog, instructors can link to Internet items that relate to their course and short essays directed specifically toward his\her students not mere annotations of interesting links.

Blogs are also being used to organize in-class discussions. This method allows students to get acquainted with each other better by visiting and reading blogs from other students. It is less threatening as they read the blog to discover their similarities and differences.

EDUCAUSE REVIEW, vol. 9, no. 5, September/October 2004, pp. 14-16, 18,

20-22, 24, 26

Using Wikis in the Classroom

I recently read an article entitled Five Strategies for Using Wikis in the Classroom:
Engaging Students in Technology Projects that Support Learning.  David Wetzel(2009) speaks on how and why Wikis are becoming very popular.  Maybe Wikis are becoming so popular because they are free and require no downloading, not to mention one of the easiest web applications to use and it helps to engage students that perhaps do not meet in the regular classroom but meet via the world wide web. 

Students can work on collaborative projects within the wiki. Students can log in to the wiki at anytime from anywhere to share information\projects.  This allows the students to work as a team without having to make schedules perfect which is more ideal in today's world with so many students working full time and raising families. 

Students can also demonstrate their knowledge on the wiki. The can make submit their work to the wiki, and cite sources. The nice thing about this aspect is the organization factor, instead of having a million papers sitting around that you are trying to collaborate, the wiki will do it instead. A time saving application, yet a valuable one for educational purposes, the Wiki allows the students to spend more time learning than searching.

Teachers can use the wiki to connect with students submit them with a list of resources that they can benefit from through the year. The website allows you to insert new information and delete old information at any time. This option gives students the benefit of easily locating resources that are acceptable for their work.

The wiki can work as a classroom news page or daily event planner.  The teacher can put all the class information into the wiki site and keep everything for the class easy to locate. A teacher could add a (homework) calender, new letter, homework assignments, notes, classroom rules, and many other things. Then the students are the parents or care givers of the students can easy locate everything they need and stay informed.

One of my favorite features is the idea of using the wiki as a filling cabinet. The wiki can store files, images, videos, student artifact, and almost anything you can think of.  It is a controlled area where only the teacher can access it, meaning it's safe.
As the popularity of the wiki grows so does the demand of finding new way to improve the wiki and its uses.  Although, just by having a wiki does not mean that you are engaging the students it needs to be a two way street.  The students have to be willing to use the wiki and share information. When the wiki is used appropriately and each person is using the site then it becomes very engaging for all students.  The wiki is a great way to help engage our new 21st century learners.

Wetzel, D. (2009). Suite101. 5 strategies for using wikis int he classroom. Retrieved February 9, 2010, from http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/5_strategies_for_using_wikis_in_the_classroom