Reflecting.....

In looking back over the last eight weeks of this course, I realize just how little I really knew about 21st century framework in education. I didn't feel comfortable with my own skills in digital literacy, thus making it particularly difficult to bring these skills into my classroom. Once I really starting navigating the course, I was no longer intimidated by what was out there, I was interested. I think the one aspect of this class I found the most challenging at first would be the digital story. This is something I've been curious about for a while now, only I never had the time to devote to teaching myself how to do it. One of the reasons I enrolled in this course was I knew it was a requirement. I would have to do it! Now, it's one of the first projects I'm going to introduce next year, and I can't wait to see the results. I realize that incorporating 21st century skills into my curriculum is critical, and I want to share meaningful and interesting ways of doing that with my colleagues. This course has equipped me with the skills necessary to engage my students in the learning process, to guide them into their own investigations and outcomes, and instill in them a lifelong love of learning.

How to be a change agent...

After reading about the importance of incorporating and assessing 21st century skills in our schools, I realized this is a pretty daunting task for all those digital immigrants out there. I know quite a few people who not only don't embrace change, they run away from it altogether. It got me thinking how I could help ease the anxiety some of my colleagues feel about incorporating change into their curriculum.

Any kind of significant or meaningful change has to be introduced slowly. Too often educators have been thrown a curve ball at the last minute and hear: "This is the new way we are doing things; implement it tomorrow." I truly believe that's one of the reasons some educators balk any any new initiative. They figure they'll ride it out until administration figures out it's not working and introduces something else. Integrating 21st century skills into the curriculum isn't a change that's going away, it's only gaining momentum. This is the new way we are doing things, the way we should be doing things and it's absolutely essential to begin the process of teaching our teachers how to incorporate these skills into their existing curriculum. One of this week's readings stated, "Any organizational change begins with individual change, and any change requires learning." Because I've taken the 21st century skills class, I'm addressing individual change; it's important for me to share what I've learned with the people I work with and the people I work for.

Student Sample

http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://sites.google.com/a/wcsga.net/e-mellor-9116/home&usg=AFQjCNE4MH_iSpctNm5cB3_GsOjVgSUJFQ

This is an example I found of a student digital portfolio. Check it out!

E-portfolios

E-Portfolios seem to be the wave of the future as far as student records are concerned. After a little research on the subject, one scholar went as far as to say they the tool that “may have the most significant effect on education since the introduction of formal schooling” (Love, McKean, and Gathercoal, 2004).

I'd say that's a pretty bold statement considering the fact I haven't heard too much about them. I figured if they're that important I better investigate what they are and how to go about using them!

I've garnered three different definitions for the eportfolio:

“Portfolios are collections of work designed for a specific objective—that is, to provide a record of accomplishments” (National Learning Infrastructure Initiative (NLII, 2004)

“An eportfolio is a web-based information management system that uses electronic media and services. The learner builds and maintains a digital repository of artifacts, which they can use to demonstrate competence and reflect on their learning.” (ePortfolio Portal, 2004)

Portfolios are collections of realia that have been assembled by a person and are retained and curated by them because the objects contained in the collection evidence or attest to claims that a person might make to themselves or to others about their life.” (The E-Learning Framework, 2004)

Some advantages to implementing eportfolios:

Because they're web based, an eportfolio can be accessed and updated from just about anywhere. Students are able to gain academic credit for learning beyond the classroom and they allow students to display their learning in multiple ways. Students are encouraged to display not only a continuum of their learning in terms of written works and multimedia projects, but poignant reflections and blogs are also a possibility.

You can set up your own eportfolio at the following site. It's free!

http://www.foliospaces.com/

I'm blogging on Twitter!

I started really investigating this whole Twitter stuff the last few days, and although I'm still a rookie, I guess it really does have some potential in education.

Sometimes I feel like there are so many ways to share what you're doing or what you're thinking, that I get to the point of saying "I don't care." I don't care that you're getting your hair done, or that you're lounging by the pool with your lapdog polishing off a six pack of Miller Lite. Do we really need to know everything that's going on with everyone all the time? This is precisely why I started the process of "defriending" some of my "friends" on facebook this week. I digress. Sorry.

Back to Twitter and its classroom potential....I'd love to get rid of my student portfolios. They are big, bulky, and for a floating teacher such as myself, a logistical nightmare. If I could manage to have my students upload assignments to a Twitter account, I'd lose the stacks and stacks and stacks and stacks of portfolios I lug around every year. Even the day to day paperwork would be considerably less cumbersome if I could find a way to Twitterize my managerial skills.

I'm gonna research it further......

21st Century Literacy

Well, this is my first blog! I'm excited!

This class has been one of five I'm taking this summer, and although I'm inundated with school work, I'm learning a great deal. I guess one of assignments I've enjoyed the most has been the digital storytelling assignment. I had been asking my family for suggestions on what I could do all week and here it was Friday evening and I hadn't come up with anything! When my husband asked if I wanted to check out the new Wegmans grocery store, I was excited but told him I couldn't go because I had to work on the project. We hadn't been able to spend any real time together since all of these classes started, so we were both disappointed. Then he suggested I make a story out of our trip! I was hesitant at first because I wasn't sure that would be "good enough." Regardless, I thought this couple of hours together was something we both really needed, so off we went. It was so much fun to do and the funny part was the Wegmans store manager told me I couldn't take pictures, so that made it even more adventuresome!

I definitely think digital storytelling has its place in my classroom. It adds another dimension to the storytelling experience. Watching the images unfold with the accompanying narration and audio caused me to become much more emotional as well. I was extremely moved by the projects in our class.