My teammate Suzanne Whitlow (@SuzanneITRT, http://etechplace.org/whitlow) passed this along to me. Henrico County is really pushing teachers to teach in a 21st Century way. The questions below are copied directly from the I <3 EdTech blog at: http://blog.simplek12.com/education/21-signs-youre-a-21st-century-teacher/
Instead of having you visit the site, here are the questions. Some of them are a real stretch, especially for our elementary students. But the list really made me reflect on what I do on a daily basis. If you are so inclined, leave a comment after you have read the list. Lisa, the author of the original post, is looking to additional “questions” for the post. She is even offering a prize.
Here are the questions:
1. You require your students to use a variety of sources for their research projects…and they cite blogs, podcasts, and interviews they’ve conducted via Skype.
2. Your students work on collaborative projects…with students in Australia.
3. You give weekly class updates to parents…via your blog.
4. Your students participate in class…by tweeting their questions and comments.
5. You ask your students to study and create reports on a controversial topic…and you grade their video submissions.
6. You prepare substitutes with detailed directions…via Podcasts.
7. You ask your students to do a character/historical person study…and they create mock social media profiles of their character.
8. Your students create a study guide…working together on a group wiki.
9. You share lesson plans with your teacher friends…from around the globe.
10. Your classroom budget is tight…but it doesn’t matter because there are so many free resources on the web you can use.
11. You realize the importance of professional development…and you read blogs, join online communities, and tweet for self development.
12. You take your students on a field trip to the Great Wall of China…and never leave your classroom.
13. Your students share stories of their summer vacation…through an online photo repository.
14. You visit the Louvre with your students…and don’t spend a dime.
15. You teach your students not to be bullies…or cyberbullies.
16. You make your students turn in their cell phones before class starts…because you plan on using them in class.
17. You require your students to summarize a recent chapter…and submit it to you via a text message.
18. You showcase your students’ original work…to the world.
19. You have your morning coffee…while checking your RSS feed.
20. You are reading this.
21. You tweet this page, blog about it, “like” it, or email it to someone else…
When I get the time to read my google reader- I find a dozen gems at least. This one really spoke to me as well. Frank, I knew you would enjoy it. How blessed that I follow/speak/tweet and collaborate with fantastic educators all over the world!! (I Just need to do that more during school hours!!!) Thanks for the post!!
Another question I would ask: Have you learned about something new this week? (Web 2.0 tool, new blog to follow, or new skill for you)- and have you shared it with another educator?