Learning in the 21st Century

In my current STEM course we are talking about "21st Century Skills" and STEM skills for our students. Recently we started a discussion forum on what those are and began to discuss "agility and adaptability." One student gave us a good reminder that brought back memories of some of my experiences over the last 20+ years of teaching. The post was as follows:

"This has to start with us as teachers. As a teacher I don't teach the same way every year. I am constantly trying new things and the students (most of them) enjoy trying something different. I think this is good to role model adaptability and the agility to switch how something is done when you see it is not working. Changing methods of teaching is good role modeling and will make the students more likely to open their minds to be more agile and adaptable.
Students need to be encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones. As teachers we meet annually and evaluate what, how and why we teach concepts and core curriculum to our students. Changes are made to include technology as it changes, update concepts and methods."

I clearly remember days as a young teacher when I was told not to dare try anything different than the other teachers as that would just upset everyone. I even got hired once for my innovative ideas and then told not to use them!!! At one district, I was told after an interview with the superintendent that he would love to hire me but I would raise the bar too high for the other teachers and they would not be comfortable with change. WOW - this is education????

As teachers we have to change to keep up and be willing to learn as we go more than perhaps any other career. It is incumbent upon us to look at our teaching on a daily basis to see what we can do better. Go to conferences on brain research or read the literature to see what we know about how children learn. This career can be so exciting and invigorating if we put the effort into making it so!!!

Classes still open for enrollment in December - visit http://podetc.com

• Introduction to Instructional Technology in the Classroom starting November 30
• Technology Literacy 101: Foundations in Collaborative Tools starting December 7
• Technology Literacy 103: Utilizing Social Networking Tools in a Leadership Capacity starting December 7

Introducing new STEM courses!!!

PODetc is pleased to announce our new course - Focus on STEM offering instructional strategies in math and science education. This course will introduce educators to the concept of teaching within a STEM framework. A critical step occurs in the first week as participants develop a working definition for STEM in the context of their own practice and collaboratively build a glossary of working terms. PODetc participants will work with their fellow educators to define and rank the top ten critical STEM skills as we examine research and literature on 21st century learning. In the second half of the course, participants will create a lab report or project template aligned with the critical STEM skills, a rubric to evaluate students in their attainment of STEM proficiencies, and a final unit project within Intel Thinking Tools that integrates STEM with critical thinking, evaluation, and creation of new knowledge.

STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math. Educators, legislators, and business leaders have long been concerned with the state of science and mathematics in our schools. In a comparison of international scores for 4th and 8th graders, results show that the American students are still lagging behind our major global competitors including Japan, China, Russia, and Singapore (TIMMS 2007). As these countries outcompete us in academic assessments, they are also outcompeting us in capturing the global markets particularly in the area of information management.

The purpose of STEM initiatives at the national, state, and local levels is to bring together the resources of government in support of improving our educational system, the private sector in making alliances to support authentic learning applicable to what is needed in the workforce, and educational institutions in collaborating on the best pedagogy and curricula to develop students who are prepared to meet the challenges of their futures. This course is applicable not only to the disciplines of science and math, but to all other disciplines as teachers continue to develop a 21st century approach through cross-curricular integration. In real world work and interactions, we don’t have clear cut divisions between disciplines. Rather learning through STEM gives students tools to develop creative and systemic problem solving, collaborative networks, leadership abilities, and long-term strategic outlooks.

With the nearly ubiquitous access we have to global resources of information, it is no longer adequate that we teach our students the content of science and math curricula. Peter Drucker (1999) predicted information management would be one of the key challenges of the 21st century (1999). For organizations to remain competitive in the information society, they must tap the potential of their knowledge reserves. Those reserves are people as Drucker explains, “The most valuable asset of a 21st-century institution, whether business or nonbusiness, will be its knowledge workers and their productivity” (Drucker, 1999, p. 135). Only a decade into the 21st century and we may have already surpassed that challenge to move on to the next. Now we need not just knowledge workers, but individuals with the creative acuity to know how to use that knowledge for the next evolution of governments, society, economies, medicine, and business. A side effect of an over-focus on information management is that the facility in the transfer of information leads to the tendency to detach the concept of knowledge from the context of the knower (Fahey & Prusak, 1998). It is not enough to teach a set of content standards, our students need to understand how to use that content.

Engineering is the application of skills and contents to the solution of real world challenges. Tony Wagner (2008), author of The Global Achievement Gap, describes what he calls the seven survival skills for the 21st century. These are critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration across networks and leading by influence, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination. “Being a lifelong learner and knowing how to access and analyze information, which is growing exponentially and is constantly changing, is far more important than rote learning of specific academic content” (Wagner, 2008, p. 257). The STEM initiatives are designed to encourage educators to move beyond the curricula to find application of content so as to nurture the ability of students to look at problems systemically from the roots up and find each level of cause and effect in the development of creative solutions.

Focus on STEM introduces educators to a new perspective from which to develop their craft. PODetc students will use online tools to integrate and apply the components of STEM to their curricula. Course participants will develop a working definition of STEM as it applies to their own teaching. We will develop strategies to reflect society’s evolution from an agricultural to industrial to information age, in which the world of work has shifted to requirements of self-directed use of time, mental rather than physical energy, a demand for creativity and innovation, and a high degree of independence (Goldberg, 1999). Students need the opportunity to forge not just social networks, but problem solving networks to collaborate across borders in finding common solutions to global problems. Educators must work toward the goal of preparing tomorrow’s builders and recognize that the workforce must be multi-talented with a combination of technical skills, flexibility, continuous learning, teamwork capacity, and communication (McLagan, 2000). Development of evaluative inquiry encompassing shared learning processes, training in inquiry skills, collaboration, links between learning and performance, and valuing a diversity of perspectives supports the development of these critical skills (Preskill & Torres, 1999).


Drucker, P. F. (1999). Management Challenges for the 21st Century (1st ed.). New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.

Fahey, L., & Prusak, L. (1998). The Eleven Deadliest Sins of Knowledge Management. California Management Review, 40(3), 265-276.

Goldberg, B. (1999). Overcoming high-tech anxiety. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

McLagan, P. A. (2000). Portfolio Thinking. Training & Development, 54(2), 44-51.

Preskill, H., & Torres, R. T. (1999). Evaluative Inquiry for Learning in Organizations. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, 2007. http://nces.ed.gov/timss/table07_1.asp retrieved May 24, 2009

Wagner, T. (2008). The Global Achievement Gap. New York: Basic Books.

How did the first week go?

So while some of you started sooner than others, most of us are back at school after what always seems like a fleeting summer vacation! Those of you in year-round schools, of course, march to the beat of a different drummer. It is hard to engender much sympathy from those who are not in the education business as our job is often seen as easy what with all the vacations we get! Ha!!

We are all seeing changes in our classrooms as a direct result of the recession. Some of you have nearly 40 students in a class, perhaps there are some with even more. How do you interact meaningful with each of 40 students in a 40-60 minute period?? Even with block scheduling, bigger classes make it that much harder for us to reach the students we need to reach. And we continue to be expected to do more with less - less money, less coverage, less resources in general.

But those of us who have chosen to stay in this profession through thick and thin must have our reasons. Here are just a few of mine:

• I learn as much from my interactions with my students as I hope to teach them.
• Every year I come back there is a student from the previous year who is genuinely glad to see me.
• Every year there is a student (or more) who makes me entirely rethink what I thought I knew about teaching - and that's a good thing!
• There are constant challenges with the changes that continue to be piled on that are often directly in opposition to what we know about learning and students.
• I cannot get complacent!!!
• I have to keep on top of changes in technology in order to keep up with my students.

As director of PODetc, Professional Online Development from the Educational Technology Community, I am thrilled to work with a group of dedicated educators who are at the top of their profession in developing those tools that can help us tap into each of our students' potentials! I learn as much as I teach in working with the dedicated educators who take our course. I encourage you to take a peek at what we offer and consider how we might help you achieve your potential in the use of educaitonal technology.

Flat Classrooms

Insight from a PODetc student:

While watching the "Flat Classroom" video, I took note of a couple of inspiring messages both by Vicki: “Get on, get rid of excuses, and make it work” and “Build a tool belt”. The latter is in regards to the idea that learning one digital or technical skill is not enough. We need to "mash" them together in order to have a great mixture. I kept these two motivators in mind as I decided to check out iEARN. Wow! I really wish I would have known about this site last school year. As some of you may know, I teach a self-contained classroom. My classroom has 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who have a hard time behaviorally in a general education setting. One reason I wish I would have known about iEARN is that one of my 8th graders informed me of a social injustice going on in Northern Nigeria in Africa. We could have done one of the projects to inform more people around the world of the "Invisible Children". I will also be looking into ePals, as that seems like that may be a viable resource. This also brings up another point that was on the Flat Classroom slides that I found inspiring and it relates to administration: "Remove the obstacle or be the obstacle." My student had a friend in Africa that we communicated with back and forth; however, this was done via instant messaging from her home and letting me know what was said the following day. Any questions we had for her friend would then be sent that night or not depending on if she remembered. We do not allow instant messaging, face book, or emails for our students. I am working on getting some of our strong filters turned off. It was comforting to know that inappropriate usage of technology will occur. Yes, I say comforting in the sense that we can be reassured that it will occur and by that we will be proactive and quick to catch it and provide consequences. Knowing that it does happen will increase the likelihood of catching it.

The second reason I wish I would have known about some of these tools is that some of my students may be the only one working on a certain subject at a certain time. I have to teach them what they are missing when they need it. Last year, I had 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade sciences going during the same hour. It would have been so wonderful to offer them the world, rather than independent learning.

Ok, the 5 Ws of iEARN -

What is the global purpose? Well, I copied and pasted 15 different projects that I think my students would be engaged with. As I think about it realistically, 15 are most likely out of the question. Three different projects per each student would be more appropriate. In all honesty, I may get to view all 15 of the projects I picked as I work with three grade levels and all core courses. So in a large view, all of the projects I picked have a common global purpose: connection, awareness, collaboration, creativity, and digital awareness. For instance, the project For Me, Writing is Something Awesome, from Bat-Chen Diaries: The purpose of the project is to expose children to the values of writing a diary; to encourage young children to write in a reflective and personal manner and express their anxieties, fears and concerns as well as their hopes and dreams-- hopefully this will lead to getting acquainted with others. (iEARN)

I would use this tool in conjunction with historical fictional readings such as Letters from Rifka, Anne Frank’s Diary, Out of the Dust, Love that Dog and others. Many of the students in my classroom have dramatic issues. Through metacognition, thinking about their thinking, unlearning and relearning new behaviors, and using the project mentioned above; my students may be much more motivated and encouraged to help themselves and others along the way

Who would my students be interacting with? They would be interacting with 12-14 year old students from around the world. iEARN has an age category for each of their projects which is another outstanding feature.

Where do most people live who participate in this project? I am not sure of that. Each of the 15 projects I picked are global connections. It will be interesting to learn who they and where the collaborators are from.

I will become involved in iEARN at the beginning of the year and continue it for as long as it is available. I am so excited for this opportunity to provide digital and global connectedness.

Why would I want or not want to join? I want to join to provide engaging, meaningful, lifelong learning, and above all hope, for my students. I also want to share their success with other staff members and begin building a school district with fewer obstacles and more experiences. I already shared the site with one of our high school Spanish teachers. She had no idea, and I told her how it would be useful in her classroom. Her first question, “What does it cost?” I was proud to respond, “Dedication!”

Thank you for this opportunity. I will make it a point to look further into each of my 15 choices as well as some of the other tools like ePals. I also want to learn Skype, as this is the second time I have heard it mentioned. I am glad to have also learned about edtech talk from the video. It sounds like that will be beneficial for me.

Thank you, Joey, for your contribution!

Enroll now for fall classes!

Come Learn With Us - Reflections from a Summer Student

How I spent my summer vacation….Well, it’s almost over and what do I have to show for it? Thanks to PODetc much newly gained knowledge. I always look for a way to make learning fun and meaningful to my kindergarten through 5^th grade students. Computer games are not used in my labs. In order to learn computer skills and to become life-long learners of technology, the students are required to complete projects which display these learned skills. For example, using MS Word to create a tri-fold state travel brochure in the 4^th grade displays the ability to perform research, typing skills, word art, text formatting and other skills. The 4^th graders then take the population of each state and create an Excel graph comparing the populations of each state.

I was somewhat familiar with the concept of Web 2.0 apps, but had never really had hands on experience. PODetc not only introduced me to many new resources for teaching and learning, but these courses also involved me in these resources. I had the opportunity to communicate with several of my classmates using SKYPE. Using http://21cif.com/rkit/timed_sc1.html in class helped me to understand how the students make mistakes during the search process and which mistake they make. More importantly, it gave me ideas for designing new lessons to teach the students more efficient ways to use the Internet to search for information.

Knowledge gained from my PODetc classes will also benefit the district in which I work. I have suggested to the administration that the use of SKYPE will increase the level of collaboration within grade levels between the three elementary schools in the district. Since two of these schools will be merging in about three years, these teachers, and students, will have the opportunity to get to know each other using this app.

The first day of school is in two weeks. I’m sharpening my pencils and aligning my objectives to the NETS standards. Thanks PODetc. I’m looking toward taking more classes this coming fall and using the skills I have learned.

Bonnie is an active learner and has taken several courses with PODetc since our inception. These courses include Introduction to Instructional Technology, Survey of Emerging Technologies, and Technology Literacy 102: Building Knowledge Management Systems. Thank you, Bonne, for your review!

A New Look for PODetc!

PODetc is pleased to present a new look with our updated website. Visit us at http://podetc.com! As we all get ready to go back to school, it is a good time to look at what new skills you might need to update your classroom and approach to teaching. Any classroom teacher is all too aware these days of how addicted our students are to their technology whether it is an iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, laptop, or combination of all of these. How many of you have caught a student texting during class or, worse, cheating because of the technologies they know all too well.

Rather than try to restrict access to available tools, it is time to be proactive and learn how to incorporate these tools into your own curriculum. Imagine if you had to spend 6 hours every day in rooms without access to the tools you too have come to depend upon - how can we expect that of our students? PODetc offers a variety of courses for a range of comfort levels with technology. Many teachers start with our Introduction to Instructional Technology to get a broad overview of the ways some educators are actively using technology as critical tool for their teaching. But we also offer classes specific to certain kind of technologies with a range of applications. All of our classes are designed to meet one or more of the ISTE NETS for students as well as NETS for teachers. In the near future, we will offer a certification program that will grant a professional certificate in ISTE NETS student standards upon completion of a course map that covers all of the standards and an independent study in which you design a lesson around those standards.

We are partnered with the University of Wisconsin, Greenbay in order that you can earn graduate credit hours with the same tuition for both residents and non-residents. You may also take the course on a non-credit basis to fulfill professional development needs and to address your questions about integrating educational technologies into your instruction.

Fall classes are open for enrollment now!

The Analog Generation...

With all this talk of digital generations, digital culture, digital age, etc.... I find myself seeking a phrase to define my generation, culture, or age. I remember as a child having an unquenchable thirst to figure out how things worked. Given any opportunity I would take a watch or clock apart to see how the gears interacted. Of course, there are some of you out there who can't remember that watches used to be wound by hand!!! What this all is leading to is the revelation that I grew up in the analog generation!!!!

Many of us in the classroom belong to the analog generation and teach students of the digital generation and there is undeniably a disconnect. Those of us from the analog generation make sense of our world by taking things apart physically or visualizing the interactions of the components. We were born into an age of radio, television, and land line telephones. We were okay with walkie-talkies and the concept of radio waves passing information through the atmosphere because we still had a nearly physical understanding of wavelengths and energy. But somewhere along the road, technology leaped ahead to a point where we do not have physical explanations for how computers work or how a device that fits in your palm can connect you anytime, anywhere with anyone in the world.

Our students were born to these technologies and embrace it without question. Some of them may have learned their alphabet on a computer keyboard leading to their first experiences with reading and writing.....digitally! But has our teaching and education system adapted to meet the needs of this new generation? If your classroom and curriculum looks much the same as the one you grew up with, then you know it is time for a change. It is incumbent upon us to provide our students with experiences and lessons that will prepare them for the world outside the school walls. We are all hindered by budgets, assessments, and a range of external measurements we are meant to meet, but look for ways to tap into the culture your students belong to. Learn how to use blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, etc... in the context of your course. Make connection with other teachers facing the same challenges through professional listservs or educational sites. Be aware of the conflict of your generation and that of your students, but do your best to catch up and embrace the vast possibilities offered by a new and exciting digital world!