Extra! Extra! Read All About It...

It is important for educators to teach their students the skills they will need for the 21st century workplace. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is an organization that, "brings together the business community, education leaders, and policymakers to define a powerful vision for 21st century education to ensure every child's success as citizens and workers in the 21st century." I believe that the Partnership for 21st Century Skills is an organization that could help transform education to best fit the needs of our students.


While I was browsing the site, I came across the Skills Map for Social Studies. I am a social studies teacher and I am always looking for innovative ways to teach my students. The Skills Map for Social Studies is definitely a resource that I will refer to when developing lessons. According to the site, "The maps will enable educators, administrators and policymakers to gain concrete examples of how 21st Century Skills can be integrated into core subjects." I like this because it shows teachers how they could teach these skills while still focusing on content.

Unfortunately, I was surprised to see that there are only 10 States that are working towards strengthening students' knowledge of 21st century skills. If it is so essential for students to learn these skills, than why aren't there more states participating with this collaboration? Isn't our Federal Government concerned about our position within the global community? If so, than how come they have not mandated states to take an active approach towards implementing these skills into state-wide curriculum's?

I recommend visiting the site...I am curious to know what you think!

References

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=44

Blogging in Action

If you read my previous post you would know that it is very difficult for me to use my blog to its full potential in my classroom. I teach social studies to males that range in ages from 16-20 in a county jail. So, after thinking long and hard, I was able to come up with two ways to use my blog without breaking the law...

I would use my blog as a way to teach students about blogs and blogging etiquette. Although my students are restricted from directly participating in my blog, they still should be aware of what a blog is and what it is used for. My blog could be used as an example of what a blog looks like and how it works. I could even design a blog from scratch so that they have an idea of how easy it is to develop and become a part of the blogging community. Unfortunately, this would not be a hands on experience for the students, however it would at least be an introduction to the technology. It would also give students the opportunity to analyze the impact blogging could have on both society and education.

I am in the process of developing an in-house literary magazine at my school that features pieces of writing and artwork submitted by the students. I think it would be great idea to create a place within my blog that would feature some of this work. It would be an online version of the magazine. The literary magazine is only expected to circulate on a quarterly basis. The blog would enable students to submit their work on a monthly or even weekly basis. The students could even tell their friends and family (outside of the facility of course) to visit the site to see what they have been doing in school.

I am not done exploring the ways in which I can use this blog within my classroom, but I think I have come up with a decent start. I am excited to see this launch and I hope you all come back and visit!!!

Technology Behind Bars?

How do you effectively use technology in the classroom without access to the Internet? This is the question I ask myself everyday. Teaching in a jail has many positive attributes; security, small class size, guaranteed attendance and the freedom to design my own curriculum. However, it does come with many obstacles. There is a very high rate of turnover amongst students and many enter performing below grade average. Many of these students are not academically inclined and require a unique approach towards their education. It is important to also realize that students who are incarcerated, besides struggling to follow society's codes, had difficulty excelling in a traditional classroom setting. For many of the students, education is not their first priority, but the use of technology is appealing to them. In the jail, the students have access to some technology, however, they are extremely limited as to what they can do with it. For security purposes just the inmate population is restricted from using the Internet. Each of our classrooms contains a Smart Board which enables me to project the Internet for the whole class to see, but still leaves out the possibility of the students participating in individual activities such as online research, web quests, pod casting, etc. Until I find a way to overcome this obstacle my goal is to continue to educate my students through the use of technology while maintaining a secure learning environment.