Global Campaign for Education. 08/03/2008
Millions of parents, teachers and children around the world are calling on their governments to provide free, good quality, basic education for all the world's children. They are part of the Global Campaign for Education; we add our voice to their call." Trends for 21st Century Learning 07/17/2008
Not directly addressing 21st century trends in the actual school culture means we are doing our students a major, almost unethical disservice. Our young students will not be prepared for those jobs that don't even exist yet. I started a Wiki on "Trends for 21st Century K12 Education". Go visit and add some more content. A Call for "We" Ness 07/07/2008
Previous posts detailed my vision for a world driven by global stewardship (see below). Briefly, I believe we need to educate for student action towards world betterment. I stumbled across a talk from TED ( Technology, Entertainmen and Design) by Julie Bolte Taylor, whose lessons from a stroke included the difference between "I" and "We" and its connection to brain science. Thinking, Being, Doing as Global Learners 07/05/2008
The 21st century students are different than the students that preceded them. They are connected, multi-taskers, aware, and engage in digital based communications - all day, every day when on their "own" time. Social networking, personal blogs and wikis, and Facebook are obviously filling some gap (or possible a bottomless chasm) in the lives of young people..Educators not only should, but they have an obligation to bring these tools, ideas, and ways of interacting in the world. I am an advocate of global stewardship and when given the opportunity so are many young people. Some powerful initiatives are evolving that use social networks for social good in the classrooms. One such initiative is Taking It Global. By the Numbers: The Dropout Rate by Edutopia 12/06/2007
7,000: The number of students nationwide who drop out of school every day. Schools known as dropout factories produce more than half of our country's dropouts. 2,000 dropout factories produce almost three-fourths of African American students and two-thirds of Hispanic students who didn't finish school. Studies show that dropouts dim not only their own economic future but also that of their communities. The 1.2 million students who should have graduated with the class of '07 will cost the nation $329 billion in lost income over the course of their lifetimes. About two-thirds of all prisoners are high school dropouts. According to a new report, To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence. released by the National Endowment for the Arts, Americans — particularly young Americans — appear to be reading less for fun, and as that happens, their reading test scores are declining. At the same time, performance in other academic disciplines like math and science is dipping for students whose access to books is limited, and employers are rating workers deficient in basic writing skills.“The study shows that reading is endangered at the moment in the United States, especially among younger Americans … and not merely the frequency of reading, but the ability to read as well,” The emphasis in many schools on bolstering reading skills and preparing students for tests, he added, is insufficient for nurturing an appreciation of reading.The NEA says this decline has “civic, social, and economic implications” and points out in their study that “nearly two-thirds of employers ranked reading comprehension “very important” for high school graduates. Yet 38 percent consider most high school graduates deficient in this basic skill.” And, “Literary readers are more likely than non-readers to engage in positive civic and individual activities – such as volunteering, attending sports or cultural events, and exercising.” No Child Left Behind in the 21st Century 11/11/2007
The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act requires technological literacy among all 8th graders.Most schools acknowledge the importance of technology to their students' futures, but while many have made significant gains in building the infrastructure required, the shifts in policy and practice needed to ensure that all students learn to use technology effectively have been harder to achieve. Technological literacy is an essential component of job readiness, citizenry, and life. Students must not only become competent in the use of technology and associated applications, they must be able to apply their skills to practical situations. Most experts agree that students should develop technological skills in the context of standards-based learning. National standards and guidelines have been developed for technological literacy. Key to many of these is the International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE) National Education Technology Standards, used in K-12 schools nationwide. Global Stewardship 07/05/2007
With being a 21st century teacher comes the responsibility of global stewardship, of advocating for the rights of all children. We have so many privileges in the United States - free public education, a roof over our heads, usually three (or more meals) a day. The world is now flat. Access to what is happening throughout the world is readily and realistically available. No more can any of us clam "I didn't know". As a teacher, I need to pro-actively work towards the rights of all children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.UNICEF is a working example of promoting the rights of all children. Their explanation of the framework for the convention for all children can be found in their website. Make sure you view their Photo Essay of the Rights of Children. As an teacher, I need to educate my students, other educators, parents, and the community. Watch the Invisible Children: 100% Campaign below. Educational Reform 05/28/2007
I have a dream and that dream is that equal opportunities are afforded to all children no matter what ethnicity, social class, economic circumstances. I do not believe we live in a world of equal opportunity. If our students do not realized they have choices, then equal opportunity cannot exist. It is a different situation when a kid decides to empty bed pans out of choice then if she does so because all the messages and choices she was given throughout her schooling was to do so. I am an educator. I have a responsibility to not just treat the symptoms related to achievement gaps that exist between the individuals of different ethnicities, heritages, socio-economic levels, and global addresses - but also the causes. As a teacher, I have to educate for global betterment. I have a mission and a vision of a just world where all children receive good teaching rather than a pedagogy of poverty (see Haberman's Pedagogy of Poverty vs. Good Teaching). I teach children and I teach teachers – hoping that the result is systemic change. As Mel Levine stated, “Success is like a vitamin.” He was referencing success of children – but I can visualize this same attitude – paradigm for the change of the systems used to educate children. ![]() Edutopia's Daring Dozen - 2007 I had the opportunity to see/listen to one of my heroes, Jonathan Kozol, a few weeks ago. I also heard him about ten years ago. His passion for the Savage Inequities in our country has only grown. What follows is a video of his discussion of his new book, The Shame of a Nation. Speaking of savage inequalities - the following film was made by a young woman who is African American . . . the film says it all . . . and this is in the 21st century! |








