Partnership for the 21st Century Skills...Necessary?

These days everyone owns a computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone or some kind of electronic device that delivers news and information to their finger tips.  News spreads as quickly as the person who's typing it and some of these people can type very quickly like some of my students.  Students have access to so much information that it can almost feel like 'information overload' when they sit through an entire day of learning while taking in the day's worth of social media.

This week I was asked to check out a website called The Partnership for the 21st Century Skills and it seems like another case of 'information overload'.  It is a website that students, parents, educators, community members and politicians can view and understand the purpose of implementing new standards into our education system.  It gives us resources and links to other websites that describe the standards and the various things it wants educators to teach our students.  I believe that a new learning standard is being implemented without a proper way to integrate it to reach the goals the website describes.  

Teachers in my school have been asked to implement a new curriculum that the state cannot afford because of the cost of the new textbooks and materials needed to convey the visions of the Common Core.  How is this fair for our students?  I have always been told throughout graduate school to not reinvent the wheel, it seems that there is a school of thought that believes that reinventing the wheel is the way.  

Thanks for reading.

Reference

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/     

What wonders a Good Blog can do!

Setting up a resourceful blog for my students can create multiple learning opportunities for them to use outside the classroom.  Catering to students needs is the most important thing so that a class website will be useful to them.  Creating a blog for my 11th grade Algebra2/Trigonometry class would be beneficial if I can implement the following:

-Posting a section for assignments and access to the material would benefit students who happen to miss class or those who misplaced the assignments.

-Creating a section for students to post pictures of solutions to view and conjecture about other students' work.

-Sharing links to websites that students can access additional material and other tech resources to enable students to complete tasks.

-To make it App friendly for students to access on their smartphones so posting pictures of math solutions for viewing can be shared.

Students who find it helpful and resourceful will keep them interested and viewing the blog.

Bloggin' in Class!

Using a blog site for students can give opportunities for discussion, give suggestions, and ask questions about the topic they are learning.

It can be a great way for students to view assignments, post resources, view resources and preview future assignments in the course.

Blogging can be made accessible for students to view as long as they have a mobile smart phone.

Using a blog will create an area for students to seek extra help when they feel like extra help is necessary.  I believe that anything used to help students outside the classroom to remind them about their work will be beneficial to their success.

David Velasco's EDUC - 6710I – 2 Blog: The Doorway to Professional Learning Communities

David Velasco's EDUC - 6710I – 2 Blog: The Doorway to Professional Learning Communities:  Hello and welcome to my Blog for Integrating Technology into  the classroom. This blog will feature some of the assignments, and aspects...



Many cool things on your blog, I hope to learn more as I peruse your site.

Using Technology in the Classroom for Mathematics

Hey Fellow Educators,

I am a third year 7-12 mathematics teacher in New York City wondering what other math teachers use in their classrooms to help in the engagement of their students.

For example, I use a smart board to for visuals and patterns, depending on the topic of mathematics.  I will use the interactive dice to discuss probability or show images that portray a recursive series.

I am just curious if other math teachers use it in different ways.