"Administrators across the United States are recognizing that the education system needs fundamental changes to keep pace with an increasingly complex global society. Yet, the deeper we get into the process of change, the more confused we can become. We need some sense of what to expect and what direction to take. Seeing the patterns of change can be difficult; stakeholders in a system tend to see change primarily from their own perspective. Often teachers may not understand what is seen by administrators and parents, nor do administrators or parents see change from a teacher's perspective, or from each other's.
To give stakeholders an aerial view of the shifts occurring in educational systems, the matrix "A Continuum of Systemic Change" defines six developmental stages and six key elements of change (see fig. 1). A composite of experiences in systemic change from across the United States and at all levels of education, the matrix provides stakeholders with a common vantage point for communicating and making decisions about change."
"Learn how to harness students' natural curiosity to develop self-directed learners. Discover how technology allows students to take ownership of their learning, create and share learning tools, and participate in work that is meaningful to them and others. Real-life examples illustrate how every student can become a teacher and a global publisher. The embedded QR codes link to supporting websites."
"Jennifer Symington, the Leader of Pedagogy at at the All Saints Catholic Girls College in Liverpool (Sydney), Australia. Teaching 12-16 year old students geography, English, math, history, and science, Jennifer has used Schoology for two years in her integrated studies course where she blends all the aforementioned subjects. Her video is a shining example of the incredible power of technology to foster global learning."
This animation was produced on behalf of the Australian delegation to the Global Education Leadership Programme (GELP). It makes the case for making big changes in education, to keep up with the big changes that are taking place in society.
"ePals is the leading provider of safe collaborative technology for schools to connect and learn in a protected, project-based learning network. With classrooms in 200 countries and territories, ePals makes it easy to connect learners locally, nationally or internationally."
"The new building blocks for learning in a complex world
This important resource introduces a framework for 21st Century learning that maps out the skills needed to survive and thrive in a complex and connected world. 21st Century content includes the basic core subjects of reading, writing, and arithmetic-but also emphasizes global awareness, financial/economic literacy, and health issues. The skills fall into three categories: learning and innovations skills; digital literacy skills; and life and career skills. This book is filled with vignettes, international examples, and classroom samples that help illustrate the framework and provide an exciting view of twenty-first century teaching and learning.
Explores the three main categories of 21st Century Skills: learning and innovations skills; digital literacy skills; and life and career skills
Addresses timely issues such as the rapid advance of technology and increased economic competition
Based on a framework developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21)
The book contains a DVD with video clips of classroom teaching. For more information on the book visit www.21stcenturyskillsbook.com."
Social media pervades all aspects of modern society, particularly with the rapid influx of mobile devices. If used in meaningful and appropriate ways, it can transform a student's learning experience, improve communication with parents and community members, as well as support professional growth. However, teachers and administrators also confront the realities of opening up students to a global audience, and address real concerns about security, screentime, inappropriate behavior, and acceptable use. While the first instinct in schools and districts is often to block services such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and even some blogging platforms, the positives of these tools often outweigh the negatives.
Combines national data and a number of international rankings - including PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS - to provide an interpretation of how countries are performing relative to each other. In this report it identifies 8 essential skills that young people will need to enter the global workforce.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that schools operating on a digital base, like all other such organisations, will continually evolve, transform and adapt to a higher form.
Moreover, they will do so in a remarkably common way, displaying at each stage of their evolutionary journey remarkably similar attributes.
We've written many times about the virtues of Evernote as a note taking, research and organisational tool. But Evernote also has a number of features that makes it ideal for use before, during and after excursions. Here's how it could be used:
The Evernote Web Clipper allows you to save anything you see on the web quickly and easily straight into your Evernote account. You can clip a full page, single article or just the URL and save it to a designated Notebook and add tags. Your web clips then become searchable within your Evernote account. Doing this allows me to have all of my information at the tip of my fingers, right when I need it and across my multiple devices.
"This year, I am not worried, I am not stressed, I am not anxious. I know that I
have plenty of time to get my reports completed because I already have so much
information already typed, personalised and ready to go about my students. I
have Evernote."
"Correctly citing an image with a
Creative
Commons
licence can be a tricky task for both educators and their students.
ImageCodr
is a website that aims to help by providing a
generator that will construct attributions for
Flickr Creative
Commons
photos that can be embedded into blogs and websites."
"One of the great advantages of the internet is the convenience of cloud based
services where you can store documents, pictures, bookmarks or notes and access
them on any device with an internet connection. Despite this level of
convenience it is still important to maintain backups of your data in the case
of unforeseen circumstances, such as your account being hacked or a service
shutting down. Here we will take a look at a few ways to backup your online data
from some of the most popular services like Diigo, Google and Evernote."
"In a world of information overload, it is vital for students to not only find information but also determine its validity and appropriateness. Our information literacy material demystifies the process of finding and validating online information. These vital skills are needed as students prepare for our global economy."
In a world of information overload, it is vital for students to be able to find information on the Web, as well as to determine its validity and appropriateness. Our information literacy materials demystify the process Web so you can impart the vital skills students need to be safe, successful 21st century learners.