Winning Ideas

21st Century Readiness means preparing my students to be active consumers and producers in a world that is constantly evolving. It means giving my students a venue to broadcast their voice and helping them connect with people all over the world by extending our classroom walls into the real world. 

21st Century Readiness isn't about technology; however, we need to continue to look forward and adapt as new literacies ultimately help propel us into the future. Thus, it's not about replacing traditional literacy practices; its about keeping an open mind and finding ways to engage and challenge the unique, individual learners coming into our classrooms.

21st Century Readiness means that educators, students, and communities need to come together and truly show what life long learning is all about. It's about collaboration and communication. It's about problem solving and working together. 

21st Century Readiness: It's about investing in our future, our children, for a better tomorrow.

Have you ever just sat back and watched students lately; I have, and I wonder every day how come I turned out to be just fine with a lot less then students have now. Well, it is because we were treated differently, we were given expectations and we were guided in how to reach those expectations. Now students are hand-held and given excuses of why they haven\'t been able to stand on their own. We have become enablers and that must stop.

Students must be taught that they are responsible for not only their actions, but their thoughts too. We have to give the students the tools, the right, to fail and then show them how to turn their failure into success. Students must know how to accept failure and that they must learn how to not repeat it. This is where a teacher can tie classroom learning and community learning all together. 

As a teacher, I try to integrate as many community activities as I can into my classroom. I want my students to get out and participate in a community based activity which is outside of their comfort zone. Volunteer an hour at the library to work on public speaking skills; volunteer at an after school activity to learn how to police their peers; work with the develope mentally challenged students within the building to see how others learn.  

I would like to use the funds offered by this grant to pay for field experiences for the students. Let me take them into the community in  a variety of venues and volunteer their time. Experience is key!

When I examine the requirements for 21st Century Readiness I embrace the principle that we must enlarge the student’s world in a safe meaningful way. Teaching children that their voice is heard and voices of others are equally important will foster empathy. Students will become thoughtful, intentional, and responsible citizens of their own and the larger community and have the ability to navigate a global landscape.

Our students need multiple skills to succeed. These include the abilities to problem-solve using multiple resources, thinking outside the box, articulating their needs and solutions in different mediums, and working as a member of a team. Students must think critically as they sift through the ever increasing availability if information. 

Students and teachers need to collaborate with the outside community to make learning and assessments authentic. As educators, we need to provide students with opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned in different and creative venues. 

Teaching young children to think outside of themselves is a developmental process, which must be nurtured to expand their definition of the world beyond their own egocentricity. Mastering this skill means children become better 21st Century learners. As they learn to share, they are identifying and articulating a need, problem solving and becoming better able to collaborate with peers. Children learn that they are valued members of a community and that they can affect change

Teachers must always be prophetic in their teaching.  Every day we are teaching, modeling, guiding and training our student for world that is 20 or 30 years to come.  

The Education process is foundational in nature, meaning you must crawl before you walk and walk before you can run.  Regardless of the increased availability of technology the teaching process will always be required. Some of the key components of 21st century readiness are global literacy, alignment of curriculum with 21st century knowledge and skills, thematic units for interdisciplinary learning, and innovation from students and teachers alike.

In today's world 21st Century Readiness means many things to students and the community. In a brief period of time the world has changed drastically and become much smaller due to innovations in technology and communication. This has changed not only the way we live, but the way we think, work, access and gather information, and communicate. 

These technological advancements are happening at lightning speed and there is a real need to constantly look outside the box in creating a workforce that is adaptable,  able to communicate well, know how and where to access reliable information, and have strong problem solving skills. This type of training takes time and should be well thought out in terms of what is actually needed to be a well rounded and productive citizen in a global society.  

Education and professional development are critical in establishing and maintaining  a work force that can adapt to these rapid changes. In the past two decades, we have been focused so deeply on teaching to the test that we are in danger of losing the abilities that will mean the most creativity, innovation, problem solving and seeing the relationship between what is learned and the real world.  

What does this mean as an educator or professional development trainer?  We must focus on core subjects with well trained, effective teachers/facilitators who have the ability  to teach creatively, evaluate effectively and understand the tools that can be used to make the most of education

The old slogan "Inquiring minds want to know..." was catchy and matter of fact when it originated, and in today's society it needs to be at the forefront of any project we begin with our students. We need to trust that they do inquire about the world and give them the reins to discover their own answers and find meaning in the vast knowledge they will gain in the process. We need to teach them the skills to really read and understand what they\'ve read in order to be able to filter through the chaos of information presented to them.

It is my job to teach them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers and to make connections between their learning and the real world. Every student comes with a briefcase that must be filled with tools that will help them be informed, resourceful, and productive citizens in our society. I can help them gather those tools through collaborative planning of inquiry-based lessons using reading, research, presentation, and evaluation skills integrating print and non-print resources and technology. And, when that briefcase is stuffed to capacity, our students will be ready to live and work in the 21st century and beyond

Students are our future.It is our task as educators to adequately prepare our students to meet a globally competive society.Technology has improved and so we need our students to be ready to meet the various challenges that will result,by finding solutions to problems using technology.

Gone are the days when students performance was simply based on traditional pencil and paper tests.The 21st century has provided us with the tools to assess students holistically as well as provide them with the opportunities to go beyond the scope of written text.

Technology allows our students to cover concepts in depth,while providing an engaging and active atmosphere where learning becomes lifelong.

Using technology allows me to as a teacher to change from the traditional role of dissimating information;my role becomes that of a facilitator who guides students in their quest for knowledge.

Technology will impact the community positively, by providing creative and innovative individuals who will build  and support positive roles through problem solving strategies.

I strongly think that  technology should be integrated across curriculum content areas as  students are prepared to be productive citizens.The positive possibilities are endless as we use technology to get students ready for the 21st century.

Globalization is changing the way we must view the world if we are going to be successful.  This new perspective requires knowledge of the places and people with whom we are being connected as well as the skills and attitude needed to work with them effectively.  It is a global perspective that makes someone ready for the 21st Century.

A 21st Century Ready student knows competition is global and does not feel entitled to the lifestyle with which she has become accustomed.  She knows there are kids in developing countries that are connected to the same opportunities she used to take for granted.  She works hard to gain competencies in math, science and reading as well as an understanding of the complex world she is entering.

A 21st Century Ready adult has begun the paradigm shift required to see the world as it is, not as it was, with new players competing and collaborating within an integrated global economy.  He realizes that he must adapt to this reality by learning new skills that add value to his organization.  He has also begun to develop the ability to work within an increasingly diverse and multicultural work environment.

Building connections, such as a Classroom Connections Project, between students around the world is critical to expanding their worldview.  Without a global perspective, one cannot understand the need to become 21st Century ready let alone build the competencies required for success in this new age.

To get our children ready for leadership in the 21st century, we need to teach them to think and solve problems independently.  We need to allow our students to experience not only successes, but also failures, so they learn from their mistakes and grow as learners.  Instead of teaching the answers, we need to teach how to go about solving problems.  

To get our children ready for life in the 21st century, we need to teach children communication skills. Access to communication with others is faster and easier than ever before. Children need to be taught how to communicate ideas with others so the communication is effective.

Collaboration is another component of 21st century readiness.  To be a productive part of our global society, collaboration is key.  To learn how to interact and share in the responsibilities of life with others is a skill that is vital to success in the society.

Lastly, we need to teach our students to be innovative in their thinking.  As the world grows and technologies improve, people will need to be able to think creatively in order to be marketable in the workplace.  As educators, we are challenged to help children become more original in their thinking.