The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a national organization advocating educational models that support 21st century readiness in order to prepare students to compete in an innovative global economy. In doing so, P21 builds collaborative partnerships among education, business, community, and government leaders.

After perusing the P21 web site, I found myself swayed by the organization's emphasis on fusing the traditional three Rs of education with the four Cs of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Instead of a static web site that simply provides information or a rationale, however, this site reveals how P21 actively and urgently promotes 21st Century Skills so desperately needed by today's youth to survive in a globally competitive society. In fact, one thing that surprised me was that even though P21 began its crusade in 2002, it has not lost momentum, as press releases, current events, and news stories exhibit a mission that is alive, well, and as dedicated as ever.

Further, the web site itself is digitally dynamic, giving access to twitters, blogs, wikis, videos, downloadable materials, educator resources, and links to professional learning communities. In addition to providing a comprehensive skills framework for 21st century learning, the organization provides state support through guidelines, materials, and access to professional development. Additionally, as an individual teacher, I was delighted to gain access to innovative instructional resources through the site's Route 21, as well as a window into classrooms through a collection of videos showing 21st Century education in action.

Overall, I feel quite encouraged by P21's web site and efforts during a time that otherwise seems overcast by economic crisis and a bleak educational landscape. Knowing that P21 holds fast to such a critical mission and chips away to develop a uniform vision for our nation's future gives me hope. A hope that my state will come to embrace technology as a necessity for helping students develop the 21st Century Skills so vital for global survival--their survival and ours as a nation.

Blogging Applications

In his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, Will Richardson emphasizes that through the process of blogging ". . . students are learning to read more critically, think about that reading more analytically, and write more clearly" (2009, p. 20). With this in mind, I think that bookblogs would provide a powerful forum for my 8th grade English students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read and respond to books through blogging. Instead of the traditional structure and role assignments of literature circles, bookblogs could be more student-directed, perhaps more akin to the book clubs that many adults enjoy.

At the beginning of each chapter, I could post one discussion question to build interest and activate prior knowledge. After reading the chapter, however, the students themselves could create and post discussion questions that not only revolve around personal responses and connections but also incorporate literary elements such as characterization, themes, author's craft, etc.

When responding to one another's posts, students will reshape and add to their understanding not only of an in-depth reading of a piece of literature but also their understanding of literary elements, all while they construct meaning with other readers. Students would be required to adhere to a reading and posting schedule, and then collaborate at the end of the book to create an extended written and artistic response.

Ultimately, I think there are many reasons for using blogs in the classroom. For one thing, students are attracted and motivated by technology, and they have a tendency to think more critically and express themselves more clearly when responding to an authentic audience. Further, blogging is a constructivist tool that enables students to direct and shape their own learning, and perhaps even more importantly, blogging allows for collaboration beyond the classroom walls, as "blogs can teach students new literacies they will need to function in an ever expanding information society" (Richardson, 2009, p. 28).

Reference
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Pwerful Web Tools for
Classrooms: second edition. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press

Greetings!

My name is Mary Martin, and I teach 8th grade English in Aiken, SC. I am currently working on my Masters in Adolescent Literacy and Technology. Before entering graduate school, I knew I had a lot to learn about incorporating technology into my classroom. However, now that I'm involved with my graduate journey, I am blown away by all of the innovative applications that are available not only to enhance learning but also to take it to an entirely different level.

With this in mind, I have created this blog for educators to share their experiences, questions, and concerns about creating learning experiences that help our students become technologically literate so that they can meet the demands of our modern society.