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The Teacher Challenge is made up of free 30 day professional development challenges where participants are stepped through weekly tasks that increase their skills while working together as part of a global community. The Challenge is open to anyone who wants to increase their skills - blogs will be used for reflecting your progress while learning and connecting with each other. We've observed success of any use of online technology is strongly related to the teacher's abilities. The greater we support and increase a teacher's skills, the better they are able to support their students use of web 2.0 technologies.

"Challenge Based Learning is an engaging multidisciplinary approach to teaching and learning that encourages students to leverage the technology they use in their daily lives to solve real-world problems. Challenge Based Learning is collaborative and hands-on, asking students to work with other students, their teachers, and experts in their communities and around the world to develop deeper knowledge of the subjects students are studying, accept and solve challenges, take action, share their experience, and enter into a global discussion about important issues."

There is no blinking the fact  that the type of students we teach today are completely different from last century's. We , definitely, need to look at some of the skills we, as teachers, need to equip ourselves with to better live up to the challenge. Among all the challenges we would have in education, there is not as daunting a challenge as catching students focus and getting them engaged in the learning process. For this particular reason, and in addition to the skills I initially mentioned in 21st Century Teaching Skills article, I would like to provide you  with another list of  some equally important digital skills that you, as a teacher, need to seriously consider if you want to pave the way for the 21st century teaching. I have added a list of web tools under each skill for teachers to better exploit it.

Technology is an integral and growing part of daily living in the twenty-first century. The challenge, then, for teachers, is to use technology effectively in classrooms to help students take ownership for learning and develop the practical and critical thinking skills necessary to better understand the world around them. To meet this challenge, teachers can use an emerging technology tool, GPS receivers, and an emerging GPS-based activity, geocaching, to transform their classrooms from teacher-centered environments to exciting, empowering, exploratory environments that focus on student engagement in the learning process.

6 weeks, 6 challenges for you and your IWB. Are you up for it?

"Are you new to using an interactive whiteboard (IWB)? Have you used one for ages but want some other ideas? Are you using an IWB regularly but know you could use it better? Then you are invited to join The 2010 Interactive Whiteboard Challenge! "

Tired of assigning the same old boring Power Point presentations again and again? Want to challenge your students a bit more than the traditional tri-fold or poster project? Come learn a whole host of new tools to spice up your students' projects and your lessons. Explore and experiment with a variety of Web 2.0 tools including animated avatars, comic creators, digital scrapbooks, image creators, interactive timelines, logo generators, slideshows, streaming video, and the web resources that will serve as "containers" for the different elements.

Tired of assigning the same old boring Power Point presentations again and again? Want to challenge your students a bit more than the traditional tri-fold or poster project? Come learn a whole host of new tools to spice up your students' projects and your lessons. Explore and experiment with a variety of Web 2.0 tools including animated avatars, comic creators, digital scrapbooks, image creators, interactive timelines, logo generators, slideshows, streaming video, and the web resources that will serve as "containers" for the different elements.

STEM League Philly is based on the idea that kids can and should be creating real 'stuff.' Through partnerships with the tech community and the dedication of teacher mentors, Philadelphia students will complete a six-week challenge based on a true need in the tech community. Student teams will create products to meet that need and compete against other teams across the city at final competition to be judged by members of the tech community.

STEM Unit Plans Explore technology rich units that use project-based approaches to support the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Curriculum. Intel believes that young people are the key to solving global challenges. A solid math and science foundation coupled with skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving are crucial for their success.

Today's classrooms are more diverse than ever before. As a result, teachers find themselves searching for ways to meet the needs of each student. Add to it the pressures of academic achievement goals mandated by NCLB and many may feel ill-equipped to meet the challenges of diversity in the classroom. Planning perfect lessons with exciting activities looks great on paper, but will it help your students reach their potential? Probably not. If there is anything I learned during my time as a public school teacher is this: The height of student achievement is directly correlated with the strength of the classroom community. By building  community in the classroom, you build an environment where students feel safe to learn, grow and be themselves.

Udacity is a totally new kind of learning experience. You learn by solving challenging problems and pursuing udacious projects with world-renowned university instructors (not by watching long, boring lectures). At Udacity, we put you, the student, at the center of the universe. Udacity classes will make you sweat. Passing a Udacity class is as demanding as passing a university-level class. But you will have a lot of fun along the way as you learn new skills and interact with amazing instructors and peers.

"Learn more about this film and download the free companion poster here: http://fablevisionlearning.com/blog/2... Peter H. Reynolds, creativity advocate and best-selling author and illustrator, and co-founder of FableVision Learning, has created a new animated short called The Testing Camera - a whimsical poke at high-stakes, standardized testing and a reminder that real assessment is as easy, and - at the same time - as challenging as getting to really know the gifts and talents of every child. "We've gone through a very test-centric decade which, in my opinion, has consumed a lot of time, energy, and resources," Reynolds shares. "Many teachers have had to adhere to new mandates and measures that require a 'teach to the test' approach. Public schools redirected funding for art, music, theater, libraries, field trips, and more. It's a discouraging picture for those trying to reach all children in creative, engaging ways." Reynolds, who is known for his books encouraging creativity, The Dot, Ish, Sky Color and The North Star among many others, penned this whimsical and poignant story about a young girl named Daisy who, dismayed at her art class being canceled, nervously faces her turn with the "Testing Camera." This huge apparatus snaps at her with a few blinding flashes of light. Weeks later, her father's reaction to the test results surprises Daisy in a most wonderful way. "This is my gift to educators to remind them to follow their instincts and remember why they got into teaching in the first place: to see the potential in every child, to nurture those emerging gifts and talents, and to change lives," Reynolds shared. The film was produced by FableVision, the transmedia studio in Boston founded by Peter and his twin brother, Paul Reynolds, author of Going Places and the Sydney & Simon series. The Testing Camera was directed by John Lechner with music by Tony Lechner, and animated by a team of young animators interning at Fable

"Rubik's cube is more than a puzzle- it's a question waiting to be answered. And when the right person finds the right question, it can set them on a journey to change the world. We salute Ernő Rubik and everyone helping young minds find the questions that challenge, excite, and let them see the world in a new way. "

"e-Missions™ are simulated, problem-based, learning adventures delivered right into the classroom via distance learning technology. With the use of the internet and video conferencing equipment, these "live" scenarios are conducted in your classroom by a Flight Director at Mission Control from the Challenger Learning Center at Wheeling Jesuit University."

What: Technology & Learning invites K-12 students to participate in the sixth annual digital photography contest. The competition, open to all K-12 students, challenges you to capture-and share-your unique vision of the world. If you have an artistic side, you also have the option to digitally enhance your photos with your favorite imaging software. The best digitally enhanced photo wins a special prize from Adobe. Other prizes include a digital camera, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and more!

Our mission is to enlighten and inspire people of all ages with an ever-growing internet archive of hero stories from around the world. Now more than ever, children, teachers, and parents yearn for messages of hope and courage to face the challenges that lie ahead. The MY HERO web site hosts thousands of stories of remarkable individuals written by children and adults alike. These stories serve to remind us that we all have the potential to overcome great obstacles and achieve our dreams by following in the footsteps of our heroes. MY HERO invites you, your family, school or organization to take part in this interactive web project. By publicly honoring your hero on this award-winning site, you reward those who have made a difference and bring a new hope to this global online community.

4Kids is teaming with Arcademic Skill Builders, who develop online games that offer a fun approach to learning math, language arts, vocabulary and thinking skills. Ready for a challenge? Check out the all new Matrix Learning games that help students learn middle school level math.