My students love to have choices and goals they make for themselves. When the students work in teams they enjoy helping each other and having leadership roles. I incorporate that in my lessons all the time.

#2
Critical Thinking & Reasoning
Invention
Collaboration
Self Direction
Information Literacy
Technology Literacy

#3
Portable Labs
Smart Boards
Document Cameras

#2- Ranking
Critical thinking
Invention
Technology literacy
Collaboration
Information Literacy
Self Direction

#3-
Smart boards, document cameras in every classroom (if they aren't there already). Also, how about a phonic ear system in each grade level pod? Carol Gibson gave a very convincing presentation regaarding their effectiveness at a SAC meeting earlier in the year.

Thanks,
Beth Allen

#2 ranking...
Critical thinking
Collaboration
Invention (we need to help students think outside the box more)
technology literacy
information literacy
self direction

#3 equipment
smart boards would be great, and I like Kris's idea of CPS for every class (the radio frequency ones so we can get rid of that "point here to answer" tripod - especially for kinders). I use the document camera daily and if I had to share, it would be pretty inconvenient.

#4 target team
We seem to always re-hash the same unit. Let's move on to a new discussion

#5 PD
I would like to focus more on inquiry and building that into every day practices

#6 UbD
I definitely agree that we need to nudge more people into leaving "tired old units" behind - or at least freshen them up with a new outlook courtesy of UbD and new standards =)

#2 My order -

Collaboration

Critical Thinking & Reasoning

Technology Literacy

Information Literacy

Invention

Self-Direction

#3 After all classrooms & needed areas have projectors mounted and document cameras in rooms, start adding smart boards & CPS systems to classrooms - so teachers have access everyday to CPS, pull out a clicker just like pulling out a pencil.

#5 How to use and incorporate Inquiry into their classroom & teaching - more of this and less of worksheets.

#6 Develop more units. Strive to replace "tired" units of teaching (those units repeated for 10 years +) with new, revised, inquiry incorporated units.

2. Invention
Information Literacy
Collaboration
Technology Literacy
Critical Thinking and Reasoning
Self Direction


3. Smart boards should be a priority

Friendly Reminder

Please have your responses posted to our 21st Century blog by Thursday, April 15. Let me know if you need help with posting a response. Thank you for your input.

From Lou and Lucille



#2 Priorities for 21st Century Skills:

1) Critical thinking and reasoning

2) Technology Literacy

3) Self Direction

4) Collaboration

5) Information Literacy

6) Invention



#3 21st Century Tools

More portable labs, voice activtated software, and smart boards.

#4 Curriculum Target Team Teams - We do not attend the Curriculum Target Team Meetings.

#5 Professional Development

Questioning and Making Connections, Active Exchange & Valuing of Students Ideas, and Strategies that Activate Prior Knowledge.

#6 UbD

We are not involved in UbD.

21st Century Committee First Meeting

Please respond to the following questions:

1. Please review the district's 21st Century Skills brochure. Do you have any clarifying questions regarding 21st century skills? Do you have questions regarding 21st century skills at Explorer?

2. Please rank the district's 21st Century Skills from 1 to 6 with one being the highest priority of what we should focus on at Explorer. (This is one of our action steps in our site plan.)
Invention
Technology Literacy
Collaboration
Information Literacy
Self Direction
Critical Thinking and Reasoning

3. Part of our site plan is to also determine appropriate equipment needs for our building. The PTA's plan is to have projectors mounted in each grade level classroom. With that knowledge, what additional equipment do you feel we need at Explorer?

4. The next three questions are for staff members only: In what ways could we improve our curriculum target team meetings where we collaborate with our technology teacher and librarian?

5. What areas of professional development do you feel we need as a staff in regards to 21st century learning?

6. What do you feel should be our next steps with our Understanding by Design units and professional development with UbD?

Thank you for your time in answering our blog questions. Have a good day!

Welcome to Explorer 21st Century Committee

Welcome to the blog for the 21st Century Committee at Explorer Elementary School. Thank you for being a part of this committee.