Continuing on my last rant about 19th century practice I have added this video compiled by Apple distinguished educators in 2001.

The 21st Century

I'm back! I could post to this blog everyday, but I am not sure if anyone would actually want to read every thought in my head. Recently I have been in a bit of a foul mood trying to push 21st century skills to 19th century practice. Don't get me wrong, there are wonderful learning opportunities happening for students everyday. I want them to be in all classes and they are simply..not. I was looking at the FETC website. FETC (Florida Educational Technology COnference) has screened the movie Two Million Minutes fora ll the attendees. What an opportunity.
While the movie focuses on the United States vs. China and India. It could be Canada, UK, or any western coutry instead of the U.S. This movie shows that if changes are not made, then we are going to see big changes in the future.
I think every teacher should see this movie. I think every student should see this movie. I think every parent should see this movie. You get the idea! It's just that important.
We can integrate with technology, inspire with praise and collaborate all we want, if there is not a fundamental change in teaching practice and student motivation, I think the 21st century high paying jobs are going to pass North America by.

Back to Education!

It's been a long winter so far, and really it has only begun. Lots of snow in thie area of the world and much mroe to come before the first flowers of Spring start to show. In the world of education nothing ever seems to stop. The video I have included today is not new. It's not eye-catching. It is however, eye-opening. if you haven't thought about how to prepare students for the years ahead this video is something to look at. Told from a student perspective, I think it really shows what we as educators need to realize about the 30+ students sitting in front of us everyday. Take a look at the video. I am working on a presentation right now on creating digital essays for an authentic audience. I will upload it when I am complete. I presented the idea to a group of students this week and they were interested in working on creating something out of their own personal essays. More to come!