I’m still trying to catch up from my recent trips to Kannapolis, EduBloggerCon and NECC. I have notes, pod/vidcasts and photos that I intend to share but more pressing matters (Family, research and writing, preparations for professional development workshops and 2nd summer semester courses) have kept my attention. Here are a few things that I want to make sure I at least go ahead and point out.
Measuring What Really Matters: The 21st Century Skills Assessment Project
“…a collaborative effort designed to create viable methods of assessing of higher order learning outcomes, and the higher-order skills required by independent, lifelong learners.”
- This handout provides a good overview of the project and includes the current iteration of the assessment instrument.
- SIGTE Forum: Assessing 21st Century Skills–Next Steps – NOTE: I’m interested in exploring this further with those sharing an interest in this. Perhaps we could set up an online discussion group or something. Drop me a line if you are interested.
ISTE’s Classroom Observation Tool (ICOT)
"A FREE online tool that provides a set of questions to guide classroom observations of a number of key components of technology integration."
Ed Tech Action Network
"ETAN provides a forum for educators and others to engage in the political process and project a unified voice in support of a common cause – improving teaching and learning through the systemic use of technology. ETAN’s mission is to influence public policy-makers at the federal, state and local levels and to increase public investment in the competitiveness of America’s classrooms and students."
Possible Federal Funding for Educational Technology
There is a possibility that we will see more funding for educational technology and perhaps even a large funding program similar to the PT3 initiative.
Clif,
Do you have the same problem with this C21st skills program as I? When I look at the list of skills (see http://tinyurl.com/ys5fnx ) I don’t see skills for the next century. I largely see skills for the past century. I mean with the exception of ICT literacy, which of the ones listed wouldn’t have been useful for my father or grandfather to have possessed (and you could even make an argument that ICT literacy would have been useful and available to them, just we’d be talking about different kinds of technologies).
Anyway, I posted about this on my own blog back at the Virtual School Symposium last year (see http://tinyurl.com/6mamg6 ) when NACOL first got involved in this initiative. Still thin that its just a buzz initiative with no real meaningful contribution.
MKB