Task 1

OK, I will admit that I am a Digital Immigrant (perhaps even bordering on the Digital Dinosaur). I have been teaching for 33 years, and am doing my best to keep up with the onset of technologies in the teaching world. Funny, this helps me know why the "Zits" comic strip is so often "on the money" for my son, Justin (25), and me!

(Click the picture to see the full cartoon.)

I know I am extremely tardy with my first posting. June and July have been very eventful for me, but here are my thoughts regarding 21st Century learners and the teachers whose task it is to "teach" them. Trust me, I learn from my students every single day as well! Never too old to learn as they say.

Two 21st Skills/Programs I hope to more successfully use this year are:

Diigo:
To help me organize numerous bookmarks and highlight specific information for students when they use websites for Florida Explorers and National Parks studies, etc.
To help me share information, sites, etc. with my third grade team.

Class Blog:
To share information with students and parents, include home(work) activities and interactive sites, and continue learning with repetition/practice of concepts at home. I am in awe of Kelly Neal's class blog and hope she will help me with mine this year!

Thoughts regarding the 21st Century Learners:

I just watched the movie "Freedom Writers" for the second time last night. I was once again so impressed by how that teacher connected with her students, a caring teacher who establishes a safe learning environment is so important.

This year, I would like to:

Establish that safe and caring classroom environment during the first week

Remember to include movement and 10 minute learning segments (turn and partner/table discuss, on the spot practice of concepts)

Introduce new concepts/ideas with websites or interactives (Brain Pop, etc.)

Design worksheets that include appropriate colored visuals ( remembering the "F" brain processing of my students and include colorful visuals on the right side and about half-way down the documents)

I think, thanks to Sandy, Gail, and Tamarah, third grade has come a long way in designing some projects that are "cutting edge" and include many of the elements discussed in the articles I read for Task 1. I felt a sense of validation when attending several ASCD conference sessions this June. The presenters were touting many of the programs that we implemented last year with our third graders. I know we will continue to update how we teach our curriculum to focus on our children as 21st Century learners. I know I will also continue to address the basic literacy knowledge that I feel the children need to have as core knowledge to attack these new learning endeavors. I go to bed this evening knowing that this in a daunting, challenging, but exciting undertaking!