Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Partnership for 21st Century Skills website (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/) takes a little bit of exploring to find the gems but is definitely worth the time. I did not see anything in particular that I disagreed with on the website. I was surprised to see that one of the partners was Appalachian Technology in Education Consortium because when you think of Appalachian you think of a very rural area with very little technology. At first glance it gives the appearance that it is focused towards administrators of districts and states however there are some great resources for teachers.

The most useful information for teachers was found under tools and resources labeled as Route 21 and Video 21. Route 21 has links that can be browsed by support systems, skills or knowledge. Under support systems I found an assessment tool for math that upon further exploration may be useful in my class. Under knowledge I found a link to MIT with a game that teaches pre-algebra and algebra concepts through a video game format. This is not the typical video game where solving math problems get you a reward at the end but are embedded throughout the game. I can use it as a full game with the students or can break it into parts and coordinate it with the pacing of my curriculum. Video 21 provided video lessons of teachers using technology in their classroom. This is a very valuable tool because as educators we rarely get to see others teach much less use technology within our subject area.

As an educator I gained a valuable resource for finding new creative and innovative ways to integrate technology into my classroom. Not only can I view how others are using technology but in ways beyond what I am currently using. I have online learning in my classroom and the use of some programs but am looking at advancing my ability of using technology and incorporating the technology literacy’s the students need to learn. As I increase my knowledge students should not only grow within their math skills but their ability to interface with technology. This is crucial since I teach eighth grade and the students are suppose to be technology literate by the end of eighth grade.

Youtube by Kevin Honeycutt

I teach 8th grade math and believe I can use a blog to facilitate critical thinking and mathematical communication. My goal for using the blog in the classroom right now is to post a problem of the week to spark critical thinking and communication among my students. I will need to educate them how to properly respond on the internet and work on asking questions to help solve the problem instead of going straight to the answer. Working collaboratively on the internet is a new concept for my students and is very different then working in groups in the classroom.
I would also like to create a forum for each of my classes where they can ask for help with their homework when at home. Right now I am hoping to create a place where they can ask each other questions as well as myself when we are on the internet. In the future I am hoping to post notes from the classroom so they have them as a references.

I would like to explore further uses of the blogs and will be encouraging input from my students to help me develop a blog that will fit their needs. As my creativity is inspired I am sure that I will come up with more uses.

I really enjoyed the water bucket problem and appreciated those who participated in it. Continue to look here as I add to this and change it. If you have ideas on how to make this blog better for our classes let me know.

Water Bucket Problem

I have a 5 gallon bucket and a 3 gallon bucket. I want exactly 4 gallons. How can I get exactly 4 gallons using the other two buckets?

When working on the solution, start by posing a question to whomever is on line. Do not go straight to the answer. Work on getting the solution together and feel free to add pictures, diagrams or whatever helps you to solve this. You can ask question to me and I will be checking it frequently but remember I do not give answers only clarifications.

Good Luck and Enjoy!